This document provides an overview of the translation process and the skills required of translators. It discusses key aspects of translation including understanding the meaning and intent of the original text, adapting for cultural differences between languages, addressing challenges like idioms, neologisms and stylistic elements, and producing a fluent translation in the target language. The goal of translation is effective communication to allow the reader to understand the message as intended in the original.

1. Stretching your brain - the
challenge of translation
“Translation is the language of Europe”
Umberto Eco

2.  text - material to be translated, can adopt any form;
 source language - language to be translated from;
 target language - language to be translated to;
 proofing - checking the translation for typographical errors
and factual mistakes, mostly done by a third party;
 idiom - a manner of speech that can only be translated with
difficulty, a particular expression in a language (e.g. US "hit
the road").
Terms

3. Communication Process
Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e7/Learn12.gif

4.  Translators work with written text - as
opposed to interpreters, whose tool is the
spoken word. Translators in the EU
institutions translate from a foreign language
into their native language, so the text they
produce sounds as natural and fluent as
possible.
What do translators do?

5.  Translation is essentially about
communication, and the question every
translator must ask is: "How can I get the
message across?" A good translation
should have the same effect on the
reader as the original text.
Conveying a message

6.  If the original made you smile or awakened
your curiosity, then the translation should do
the same. To do so, the translator must really
understand what is written: not just the
words, but also the meaning of the text, the
message the author wants to convey.
Conveying a message

7.  So to translate correctly, we have to
take into account not just structure and
grammatical issues, but also the context
and style of the original, as well as the
different shades of meaning expressed
by devices such as synonyms and word
play.
Conveying a message

8.  Depending on the type of text, the translation
may call for technical knowledge of some
kind, e.g. in electronics, finance, medicine,
chemistry or botany (e.g. names of machine
parts or chemicals) or knowledge of cultural
and stylistic factors (to be able to recreate a
rhyme or pun).
Different types of knowledge

9.  Every language is rooted inextricably in its
own specific cultural, social and geographical
setting. Many terms in one language simply
have no equivalent in another language. In
such cases, translators sometimes have to
coin new phrases to describe these concepts.
Adapting for culture

10.  Many texts have so much culture-specific
content that they have to be translated very
differently for each audience, to make them
accessible to people in a given culture or
geographical area. Spain's version of a
general-knowledge board game, for example,
would look very different to the version sold
in Ecuador – even though the language is the
same. This is called "localisation".
Adapting for culture

11.  Another difficulty is that vocabulary changes
very quickly. People’s inventive nature
generates a constant stream of new ideas and
inventions, or new uses for existing terms.
This is one of the most challenging – but
engaging – aspects of the job, requiring
translators to stretch themselves creatively to
come up with new ways of expressing these
concepts in their own language.
Living language

12.  Remember that looking up a word in a
dictionary is only a first step. The
context in which a word is used may
well lead you to choose a different term
entirely.
Living language

13.  the accuracy of your text
 your ability to use terms correctly
 your ability to write fluently in your chosen
language i.e. the general readability of your
translation
 the creativity of the solutions you find.
You will be judged on:

14.  The German text from 2007 contained a short rhyme
at the end:
 Fast möchte man sich dem Reisemuffel Eugen Roth
anschließen, dessen Reim „Die besten Reisen, das steht
fest, sind die oft, die man unterlässt“ zum geflügelten
Wort wurde.
 The literal translation of this would be something like:
 "You could almost agree with Eugen Roth (whose pet
hate was travelling). His rhyme "The best journeys are
the ones you don't go on" has become a saying."
Translation examples (1)

15.  As you can see, the translation doesn't rhyme.
The problem can be solved in two ways: either
translate so that it rhymes or don't call it a
rhyme!
 "You could almost agree with Eugen Roth, whose
pet hate was travelling, and who coined the saying
"The best journeys are the ones you don't go on".
 But if you do manage to make it rhyme and
keep the sense, you'll certainly get extra
points!
Translation examples (1)

16.  The French text from 2011 also offered a
rhyming translation challenge, so these are a
few successful solutions in different
languages:
Translation examples (2)

17.  In the English text from 2008 two English dialects
were mentioned:
 "Multilingual forms of communication include regional
languages and dialects (such as Cockney and Geordie),
and sign languages."
 How could we translate "Cockney and Geordie" into
other languages? Can our non-English readers be
expected to know what they are?
Translation examples (3)

18. We have three options here:
1. if we think the notions "Cockney and Geordie" are fairly
well known among our [your language] readers, we can
keep them as they are (Cockney and Geordie).
2. we could also add a short explanation: "Cockney and
Geordie - dialects spoken in London and north-eastern
England".
3. if the rest of the text allows it (as this particular text did),
we could even exchange the names of the dialects for
two dialects in our own language (Bayrisch und
Sächsisch).
Translation examples (3)

19. Markers favourites

20.  Translation always involves the risk of failing to see
the wood for the trees. You may find yourself making
a huge effort to create a rhyme or convey an
idiomatic expression — but you must also consider
what works best in the context. For instance, what is
the right register? Is it appropriate to use slang, or
archaic language, or jargon? Striking exactly the right
balance is very tricky.
Register

21.  Translations that demonstrate fluency throughout the
text have often been picked as winners over the years
— so it’s important to keep stylistic balance in mind.
The eternal question is how to stay true to the
original and at the same time write fluently and
idiomatically in the target language.
Fluency is key!

22.  1st reading:
 General reading. Ask yourself – what is the text about?
 2nd reading:
 Close reading. Think about the sender intentions, your possible
receiver, etc. Try to sum up the text in your head – you can
even do a few bullet points using your own words.
 3rd reading:
 Underline those words, expressions or ideas which will be more
challenging to translate. This includes cultural concepts. You
can use a dictionary at this point.
How to tackle a text

23.  When you come across a word you don't recognize or
know the meaning of, keep a note of it. When you get
around to looking it up, here is the sequence to
follow:
Using a bilingual dictionary

24. 1. Proceed to the letter of the alphabet that your word
begins with. Don't forget the possible spellings for
trickier words, such as "psicología" which begins with a
"p“.
2. Check for the guide words. These are located in the
upper corner of each page and give you an indication of
how close you are to locating your word, speeding up
the process of going through the pages.
How to find a word

25. Once you've located the word, there are several useful
elements that you can discover about the word from
the dictionary entry. Read the information given about
this entry, and depending on your dictionary, you might
find many things:
How to make the most of your find

26.  An equivalent of the word in other language.
 One or more pronunciations. Look for a pronunciation key near the beginning
of the dictionary to help you interpret the written pronunciation.
 Capitalization, where relevant.
 Prepositions (en, dentro) and their use with the word in question.
 Irregular endings for verbs.
 Synonyms and antonyms. You can use these in your writing, or as further
clues towards the word's meaning.
 An etymology, derivation, or history of the word.
 Examples or citations of how the word is used. Use these to add context to
the meaning of the word.
 Derived terms and inflections (Verbs are usually in their ar, er, ir form, but
there will be a table in the dictionary to explain how to change them).
 Phrases or idioms associated with the word, and slang usage. In addition, the
dictionary may explain whether a word is formal or informal.
 Plurals and gender of nouns.
 Near neighbor words that might be related, such as “futil”, "futilidad".
 Spellings and words in other places. (Coche, carro)

27.  Avoid translating word by word.
 If you have time, leave the translation for a few
minutes once you finish. Then read it again and ask
yourself the following questions:
 Does it make sense?
 Does it sound natural?
 Compare it again with the ST.
 Check your spelling
Start translating

28.  http://ec.europa.eu/translatores/how/index_en.htm
 Libardo Ospino:
http://www.slideshare.net/libaospino/the-analysis-of-
the-text
 http://www.wikihow.com/Use-a-Dictionary
Sources