You Wont Understand Translation, Unless You Practice It.

What we did at the very beginning was translating single sentences

. I thought that it was like a word game -- look up the new words, choose a definition, piece it together with definitions of other words, and there comes a translation. Yes, with some authoritative dictionaries in hand, it shouldnt have been hard, especially when sample sentences are given to illustrate the meaning of the words, and the translation is readily there. Through such exercises, my vocabulary gets enlarged, and moreover, I come to learn more about the meaning and use of words. We are familiar with the meaning of the words respectively, but when they are put together, the meaning is completely different. Very often, we put their literal meanings together, and thus get a wrong idea. Therefore, it is always important to check it up in dictionaries.

So translation concerns not only words, but also the background information. The more we know about the context, the more accurate the translation will be. The translation exercises also bring me a deeper understanding of the social values reflected in the language. The simple word siblings can be translated into more than a dozen Chinese versions, with regard to the ages and genders of people the word refers to. This is because for more than two thousand years, Chinese have always attached great importance to courtesy, and the age differences are bound to classified titles, which reflects the status, power and influence one has in the family. And family members should address each other with the fixed titles. The native English speakers usually call their family members by name, for they dont have such a strict system strengthening ranks and genders. But they have their own way of showing courtesy, so they often speak in a quite polite and mild way. To get the implied meaning of their words, a Chinese might need a second thought. When they say, It was very nice talking with you, we may naturally take it as a compliment, and an encouragement for further conversation. But, in fact, the speaker has omitted the later part of the sentence but I must leave now that suggests an end for the talk. But for the translation exercises, I might never notice these subtle implications. Some say that to master a foreign language, one must study its literature. I shall add that it is equally important to study the translation between the foreign languages and the mother tongue, because by this close comparison, we will be aware of the differences in them, which lead to further discovery of the causes rooted in the cultures and values of the two societies. I think it should be through this way that we are able to obtain an in-depth understanding of the languages and much more beyond them.

The interesting case is that, even with precise interpretation of both the language and its connotation, our translation may not be satisfactory. Our professor had once been given an English introduction of some kind of fire engine, and he had been quite responsible ---- making every terminology accurate, the languages highly equivalent, all strictly following the original text, and few days after he handed in his work, he was invited to the firehouse to explain how to operate the new machine, of which the firemen had no idea even after reading his translation. I guess he had done a brilliant translation loyal to the English version, but unfortunately a poor Chinese introduction for those firemen. And there I got a question that should translation be author-oriented or reader-oriented? If the translated version failed the purpose of the original piece ----- to influence the readers in its designed way, like informing, persuading, entertaining, arguing, or whatever, then what is the meaning of it? When a translation is done, it should be an independent being, because ordinary people will not read it while referring back to the original piece, (if they understand the source language, why need a translation?) and compare how faithful the translation is, whether its diction is equivalent and elegant. All they are looking for is the ideas contained in this very piece in hand. Therefore, we must have a clear picture of our target readers, analyze their vocabulary, receptivity, and then the translation itself alone may make sense. When I applied for a part-time translating job last month, the company staff told me Our product is from America which has not yet entered the Chinese market. We are still applying for licenses from the National Bureau of Science and Technology and other state departments. We need translations on its English introduction ---- to Chinese experts, to civil officers, and to our future customers. Apparently, the versions must have different focuses and language styles. The speaker was not a language major, but his remarks were very enlightening to me. I think in translation, we also have something like what we have in writing ---- the audience issue. On writing down very word in our translation, we should always bear in mind the readers response. We translate for people not for language. If a bridge beautifully structured cannot fit into the ground on the other end, can it still be called a bridge? A successful translation should be one that helps the readers get the authors ideas most clearly and comfortably, one that bridges the most effective communication. Therefore, translating can be regarded as a comprehensive and considerate program on communicating.

It is an interesting journey approaching translation. We often follow the route that starts from what to how and finally reaching why. I wonder what effect it may be if we reverse the process: first set the goal, and then choose the passage, and when looking back, it is all there that what the whole thing is. Perhaps this is the approach to translation on a higher and more professional level. Translation is not that easy, as one of our teachers always reminds us that, Excellence is a habit. However, it is a task worth challenging, for only in translating have I experienced and enjoyed such intimacy with languages.

Aunes Oversettelser AS has been in the business for 26 years, and we are specialized in technical translations. We are specializing in the Nordic languages, and can offer services into Swedish, Danish, Finnish, Norwegian and Icelandic. The premier translation agency for Norway and the Nordic region! Technical translation services for businesses in the Nordic countries and translation agencies world-wide.

by: carmen

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