Translation - importance and Scope
Translation - importance and Scope
The in-depth study of Art of Translation demands more attention not because it paves way for global interaction and offers an exquisite opening to undergo socio-cultural contemplate of varied languages and their literatures but also gives an opening to produce some kind of relevance it has in the study and area of Literary Criticism. Translation Studies can very safely be included as an prominent genre in the domain of Literary annotation since translation is an art prompting to peep into the diversified lingual, cultural and literary content of a source language and thus highlighting/appreciating the essence and niceties of the literature of that single translated language. In the context of Indian Studies, keeping in view the multilingual and pluristic cultural nature of our country,translation has an prominent role to play. It is through translation that we can look into the rich inheritance of India as one integrated unit and feel proud of our cultural legacy. The relevance of translation as multifaceted and a multidimensional activity and its international point as a socio-cultural bridge between countries has grown over the years. In the present day circumstances when things are fast consuming ahead globally,not only countries and societies need to interact with each other closely, but individuals too need to have palpate with members of other communities/societies that are spread over distinct parts of the country/world. In order to cater to these needs translation has come to be an prominent activity that satisfies individual, societal and national needs.
Translation - importance and Scope
Translation - importance and Scope
It goes without saying that the point and relevance of translation in our daily life is multidimensional and extensive. It is through translation we know about all the developments in transportation and technology and keep abreast of the newest discoveries in the varied fields of knowledge, and also have entrance through translation to the literature of several languages and to the distinct events happening in the world. India has had close links with ancient civilisations such as Greek, Egyptian and Chinese. This interactive relationship would have been impossible without the knowledge of the varied languages spoken by the distinct communities and nations. This is how human beings realised the point of translation long ago. Needless to mentiuon here that the relevance and point of translation has increased greatly in today's fast changing world. Today with the growing zest for knowledge in human minds there is a great need of translation in the fields of education, science and technology, mass communication, trade and business, literature, religion, tourism, etc.
Broadly speaking,translation turns a text of source language(Sl) into a precise and understandable version of target language(Tl)without losing the recommendation of the original. Many population think that being bilingual is all that is needed to be a translator. That is not true. Being bilingual is an prominent prerequisite,no doubt, but translation skills are built and industrialized on the basis of one's own long drawn-out communicative and writing experiences in both the languages. As a matter of fact translation is a process based on the ideas of extracting the meaning of a text from its present form and reproduce that with distinct form of a second language.
Conventionally, it is suggested that translators should meet three requirements, namely: 1) Familiarity with the source language, 2) Familiarity with the target language, and 3) Familiarity with the branch matter to accomplish the job successfully. Based on this concept, the translator discovers the meaning behind the forms in the source language (Sl) and does his best to reproduce the same meaning in the target language (Tl) using the Tl forms and structures to the best of his knowledge. Simply and supposedly what changes is the form and the code and what should remain unchanged is the meaning and the message (Larson, 1984).Therefore, one may sight the most tasteless definition of translation, i.e., the option of the nearest equivalent for a language unit in the Sl in a target language.
Computers are already being used to translate one language into another, but humans are still involved in the process whether through pre-writing or post-editing. There is no way that a computer can ever be able to translate languages the way a human being could since language uses metaphor/imagery to transport a single meaning. Translating is more than Simply finding up a few words in a dictionary. A ability translation requires a acceptable knowledge of both the source language and the target language.
Translation Theory, practice and Process
Successful translation is indicative of how closely it lives up to the expectations as: reproducing exactly as for as possible the meaning of the source text,using natural forms of the receptor/target language in such a way as is acceptable to the kind of text being translated and expressing all aspects of the meaning closely and facilely understandable to the intended audience/reader.Technically, translation is a process to abstract the meaning of a text from its current forms and reproduce that meaning in distinct forms of an additional one language. Translation has now been recognised as an independent field of study. The translator can be said to be the focal element in the process of translation. The writer/author becomes the centre, for whatever he writes will be final, and no two translators translate a text in the same way. It is genegally believed that a writer to know the intricacies of the Tl in which he may wish to translate. As a matter of fact, it is not the writer of the Sl text who asks someone to translate his works into the Tl; it is primarily the interest of the private translator which prompts him to translate a work into his mum tongue. A thriving translator is not a mechanical translator of a text but is creative as well. We may say that he is a co-creator of the Tl text. . In fact, for a translator knowledge of two or more languages is essential. This involves not only a working knowledge of two distinct languages but also the knowledge of two linguistic systems as also their literature and culture.Such translators have been seen to possess varied qualities which we shall briefly discuss later.
Linguiustically,translation consists of learning the lexicon, grammatical structure, transportation situation, and cultural context of the source language and its text, analyzing it in order to resolve its meaning, and then reconstructing the same meaning using the lexicon and grammatical structure which are acceptable in the target language and its cultural context. The process of translation starts with the understanding of the source text closely and after discovering the meaning of the text, translator re-expresses the meaning he has drawn out into the receptor/target language in such a way that there is minimal loss in the transformation of meaning into the translated language.This whole process could be graphed as under:-
Overview of the translation task
In practice, there is all the time necessary difference in the types of translations produced by varied translators of a single text. This is because translation is essentially an Art and not Science.So many factors along with proficiency in language,cultural background, writing flair etc.determine the ability of translation and it is because of that no two translations seem to be alike if not averse.
Accommodation in Translation
Translation turns a transportation in one language into a precise and understandable version of that transportation in an additional one language. Sometimes a translator has to take inescapable liberties with the primary text in order to re-create the mood and style of the original.This,in other words is called 'accommodation.' This has three dimensions: cultural accommodation; collocation accommodation; ideological accommodation; and aesthetic accommodation.Accommodation is determined a synonym of adaptation which means changes are made so the target text produced is in line with the spirit of the original. Translation is not merely linguistic conversion or transformation between languages but it involves accommodation in scope of culture, politics, aesthetics, and many other factors. accommodation is also translation, a free, rather than precise kind of translation. Moreover, it is inescapable in practice if the translation is to assert the source message's essence, impact, and effect. There is an consuming saying: A translation is like a woman: if it is faithful, it is not beautiful; if it is beautiful, it is not faithful. That is to say if you want to be true with the text while translating you are bound to lose the attractiveness of the translated text and if you try to assert the attractiveness of the translated text you are sure to be unfaithful with the primary text.. Faithfulness was once determined the iron rule in translation process but over the years when we take a closer look, accommodation, or adaptation, is found in most published translations and it has come to be a necessity too since keeping in view the averse cultural/lingual/geographical/historical/political diversifications and backgrounds of varied languages and their literatures, accommodation,if not compromising, is practically obligatory. Accommodation, too, has to be carried out very sensibly, more especially when it comes to translating poetry or any such text which is highly immotive and artistic in nature.For example translating poetry has never been so simple. Robert Frost once said, "Poetry is what gets lost in translation." This is a enough evidence of the mystery involved in translation of poetry. Because poetry is fundamentally necessary for its aesthetic value, therefore, aesthetic accommodation becomes an art instead of a basic requirement. A good poetry translator with a good quantum of accommodation and enough knowledge of aesthetic traditions of distinct cultures and languages, can be best appreciated by the target reader and can accomplish the required effect.
Qualities of a good Translator
A good translator should have enough knowledge of the Sl(source language) from which he is translating into the Tl which is generally his mum toungue/target language. In order to produce an precise translation of the Sl text he should have command over the grammatical, syntactic, semantic and pragmatic features of the Sl. In expanding to this it is necessary that he is well-conversant with the socio-cultural contexts of both the Sl and the Tl. A good translator should be the author's mouthpiece in a way that he knows and comprehends fully whatever the primary author has said in his text. One of the generally acceptable characteristics of a good translation is that it should look like the primary text or come as close to the Sl text as possible. It should appear like the primary in the Tl translation within the usual collective and cultural settings with some minor accommodation, if necessary,of course.
Usually it is also believed that the job of a translator is a mechanical one-a straightforward rendering of the Sl text into a Tl text. But it is not so. The translator has to accomplish a beyond doubt difficult task. It is in a way more difficult and involved than that of the primary writer. A creative writer composes or pens down his thoughts without any outward compulsion. A translator has to confine himself not only to the Sl text but a host of other factors also intervene in the process of translating the Tl.
A good translator must have an enough knowledge of the branch or area to which the Sl text relates so that the translator is able to capture the spirit of the Sl text. If he does not have an in-depth knowledge, he may not be able to produce an precise translation suitable for its intended purpose. For example, if you want to translate the Bible or the Gita or any other religious text, you must have enough knowledge of those religious and theological works.
A good translator should be true of the choices that he makes in using the Tl. He should translate in the style, which is acceptable for the target audience. The style should be such that it appears to be natural and spontaneous to the Tk readers. The translation in the Tl should not sound alien.
A translator does need inescapable tools to help him out in moments of difficulty. These tools can be in the form of good monolingual and bilingual dictionaries, encyclopedias, e-dictionaries, glossaries of technical and acceptable works, etc. Pertaining to the Sl text.
A good translator must have patience and should not be in a hurry to rush through while translating any text. He should not hesitate in discussing with others the problems that he may come across. Morever, he should not shy away from conducting micro-research in order to arrive at permissible and apt equivalents.
In short, a good translator should be a competent and proficient bilingual, well-known with the subject/area of the Sl text chosen for translation. He should never try to insert his own ideas or personal impressions in the Tl text. His objective should be to transport the content and the intent of the Sl text as exactly as possible into the Tl text. The job of a translator is very rewarding and intellectually stimulating
Finally,a few words(based upon my close understanding about translation study and activity) for up-coming translators and translation-lovers.To translate from one language into an additional one has never been an easy endeavour.It is an exercise both painstaking and cumbersome and only those who have engaged themselves with translation work can comprehend the involved character of this Art. I have been connected with translation work for over three decades translating from English, more especially, from Kashmiri/Urdu into Hindi and back.
1-A good translator ought to be a good writer.
2-You needn't translate all things that has been written, you need to translate the best only.
4-A good translator adjusts/accommodates and not compromises with the primary text.
5-Translators are like ambassadors representing and exchanging the best of their literary world.
5-Art of translation is as old as makind, don't you translate your notion before you speak it out? Some more suggestions:
1-Try to get into the mind of the writer.
2-Check your translation twice or may be thrice before finalizing the script. Put the primary tube "aside" and listen to/read your translation with your ear "tuned in", as if it were a tube originally written in the Tl.
3-If your material is highly technical, with vocabulary that is distinctive to a discipline, it is prominent that the translator has at least some background or palpate of that discipline. A good translator of poetry and drama may be a bad option for a chemical engineering or biotechnology text.
4-If you have a native speaker of your target language handy, particularly one who is well-known with the subject, that someone could be as useful as your instructor for final script-review. Take his assistance without fail.
A few more guide lines for the translators:
Do not try to find difficult equivalent words in the hope that this will add to the perfection of your translation.
Every language has its own punctuation rules and differ in many ways; take care to punctuate correctly.
Check your translation two or three times at the end.
Translation - importance and Scope
