BERLO’S SMCR MODEL OF COMMUNICATION

In 1960, David Berlo postulated Berlo's Sender-Message-Channel-Receiver (SMCR) Model of Communication from
Shannon Weaver's Model of Communication (1949). He described factors affecting the individual components in the
communication making the communication more efficient. This model also focuses on encoding and decoding which
happens before sender sends the message and before receiver receives the message respectively.

Components of Berlo's Model of Communication

Berlo's Model has mainly, four components to describe the communication process. They are sender, message, channel
and receiver. Each of the component is affected by many factors.

S –Sender
Sender is the source of the message or the person who originates the message. The person or source sends the message
to the receiver. The following are the factor related to sender and is also the same in the case of receiver:
 Communication Skills:
Communication skills of a person is a factor that affects the communication process. If the sender has good
communication skills, the message will be communicated better than if the sender's communication skills are
not good. Similarly, if the receiver can not grasp the message, then the communication will not be effective.
Communication skills include the skills to speak, present, read, write, listening, etc.
 Attitude:
The attitude of the sender and the receiver creates the effect of the message. The person's attitude towards self,
the receiver and the environment changes the meaning and effect of the message.
 Knowledge:
Familiarity with the subject of the message makes the communicated message have its effect more. Knowledge
on the subject matter makes the communicator send the message effectively.
 Social Systems:
Values, beliefs, laws, rules, religion and many other social factors affect the sender's way of communicating the
message. It creates difference in the generation of message. Place and situation also fall under social systems.
 Culture:
Cultural differences make messages different. A person from one culture might find something offensive which
is very much accepted in another culture.
M-Message
A message is the substance that is being sent by the sender to the receiver. It might be in the form of voice, audio, text,
video or other media. The key factors affecting the message are:
 Content:
Content is the thing that is in the message. The whole message from beginning to end is the content.
 Elements:
Elements are the non verbal things that tag along with the content like gestures, signs, language, etc.
 Treatment:
Treatment is the way in which the message is conveyed to the receiver. Treatment also effects the feedback of
the receiver.
 Structure:
The structure of the message or the way it has been structured or arranged, affects the effectiveness of the
message.
 Code:
Code is the form in which the message is sent. It might be in the form of language, text, video, etc.
C-Channel
Channel is the medium used to send the message. In mass communication and other forms of communication, technical
machines might be used as a channel like telephone, internet, etc. But in general communication, the five senses of a
human being is the channel for the communication flow and it affects the effectiveness of the channel.
 Hearing- We receive the message through hearing.
 Seeing- We perceive through seeing. We also get non-verbal messages by seeing.
 Touching- Many of the non-verbal communication happens from touching like holding hands.
 Smelling- We collect information from smelling.
  Tasting- Taste also provides the information to be sent as a message.
R- Receiver
Receiver is the person who gets the message sent in the process. This model believes that the thinking pattern and all
other factors mentioned above must be in sync to that of the sender for the communication to be effective. The
message might not have the same effect as intended if the receiver and sender are not similar. The receiver must also
have a very good listening skill. Other factors are similar to that of the sender.
 Communication skills
 Attitudes
 Knowledge
 Social Systems
 Culture
Criticisms of Berlo's SMCR Model:
 There is no concept of feedback, so the effect is not considered.
 There is no concept of noise or any kind of barriers in communication process.
 It is a linear model of communication, there is no two way communication.
 Both of the people must be similar according to all the factors mentioned above.

Nida’s Model of Communication Process

Translation process starts with analyzing the source language text (SLT). At this stage, our linguistic capability to
correctly interpret and understand the source language text is highly needed. Our knowledge about the subject matter
will support our work at this stage. One among the challenges that we as translators may encounter at this initial step is
perhaps lack of clarity of the SLT and the issue of untranslatability.

Lack of clarity in the SLT may be found in unedited texts. In this case, we need to work harder in comprehending and
analyzing the meaning of the source text to know what exactly the intention of the author is. If necessary, we may need
to consult the author/client in person to ask for clarification.

In addition to the possibility of lack of clarity in an unedited SLT, cultural gaps may result in the issue of untranslatability.
When we come across this problem, we may use the internet as a one-stop solution to this problem. We can search and
learn about a particular term related to a certain culture. However, we should equip ourselves with skills to formulate
keywords, otherwise, we may not find the information that we seek. In addition to being skillful in making keywords, we
should also be selective in determining which sources of information to trust.

The second stage in translation process is transferring the message into the target language text (TLT). Here, we can use
dictionary, thesaurus, and any other relevant supporting materials/sources. The ability to choose the appropriate
equivalent in the TLT is a must to have to ensure that the message is correctly presented in the TLT. One of the
challenges that may appear at this stage is lack of equivalents in the TLT, for example, when translating a text from
English into Indonesian, we may find it difficult to find an equivalent in the TLT for a certain cultural term.

As English is richer in vocabulary compared to the Indonesian language, we may find it easier to find equivalents in
English rather than in Indonesian. In this case, we can use more than one word to compensate the meaning components
that are not covered by a single word. There are a number of translation strategies that can be applied depending on the
context, the target readers and the nature of the text to be translated.

The third stage is the restructuring process. As every language has its own system, shifts in translation are unavoidable.
This is acceptable so long as the meaning or the message in the SLT is correctly presented in the TLT. This stage can also
be regarded as an editing stage that involves decision making. At this stage we will need to decide which equivalent to
use or which strategy to apply, whether to make the translation faithful as in legal translation or to produce a dynamic
translation like in translating a literary work. Apart from being required to be linguistically capable in understanding the
source language, we must also be able to express ourselves in the target language. We have to be aware of the
pragmatic context and minimize the occurrences of grammatical mistakes in the TLT. As for instance, in translating a text
from Indonesian into English, we must understand the correct use of tenses, articles, preposition, phrasal verbs, etc.

In order to produce a natural translation, we have to know the idiomatic expression in the receptor language. We can
search whether our translation (a phrase or expression) is the common or idiomatic expression in the TL by feeding it to
the search engine. If there are very few or even no results at all, that may indicate that the phrase is not common /
idiomatic in the TL and thus, we have to find another one that is more commonly used by native speakers of the TL.
Reading the texts in SLT especially the texts written by native speakers will essentially help us in improving the quality of
our translation products. Last but not least is the proofreading process. Sometimes, we already edited our work several
times yet we do not realize that we make a mistake or even some. Here, the role of a proofreader is needed to check our
work so that we can confidently submit our work to our clients.

In conclusion, problems should not prevent us from taking up a challenging translation work/project. We should realize
that problems are always present in any field. Therefore, instead of regarding them as barriers or obstacles, we can
regard them as challenges and use them positively to motivate ourselves to continually learn to enhance our quality, to
strive to better ourselves and finally to work hard to be experts in our field.

Shannon and Weaver Model Of Communication

Shannon Weaver model of communication was created in 1948 when Claude Elwood Shannon wrote an article "A
Mathematical Theory of Communication" in Bell System Technical Journal with Warren Weaver. Shannon was an
American mathematician whereas Weaver was a scientist. The Mathematical theory later came to be known as Shannon
Weaver model of communication or “mother of all models." It is more technological than other linear models.

Concepts in Shannon Weaver Model

 Sender (Information source) – Sender is the person who makes the message, chooses the channel and sends
the message.
 Encoder (Transmitter) –Encoder is the sender who uses machine, which converts message into signals or binary
data. It might also directly refer to the machine.
 Channel –Channel is the medium used to send message.
 Decoder (Receiver) – Decoder is the machine used to convert signals or binary data into message or the receiver
who translates the message from signals.
 Receiver (Destination) –Receiver is the person who gets the message or the place where the message must
reach. The receiver provides feedback according to the message.
 Noise –Noise is the physical disturbances like environment, people, etc. which does not let the message get to
the receiver as what is sent.

Explanation of Shannon Weaver Model

The sender encodes the message and sends it to the receiver through a technological channel like telephone and
telegraph. The sender converts the message into codes understandable to the machine. The message is sent in codes
through a medium. The receiver has to decode the message before understanding it and interpreting it. The receptor
machine can also act as a decoder in some cases. The channel can have noise and the receiver might not have the
capacity to decode which might cause problems in communication process.

Here, for instance, brain might be the sender, mouth might be the encoder which encodes to a particular language, air
might be the channel, another person’s ear might be the receptor and his brain might be the decoder and receiver.
Similarly, air is the channel here, the noise present in his environment that disturbs them is the noise whereas his
response is the feedback. There were only 5 components when the model was made. Noise was added later.

As Shannon was an engineer, this model was first made to improve technical communication, mainly for telephonic
communication. It was made to to maximize telephone capacity with minimum noise. Later, Weaver applied it for all
kind of communications to develop effective communication and the model became famous as Shannon Weaver model.
In engineering, Shannon’s model is also called information theory and is used academically to calculate transmission
through machines and also has a formula.

Example of Shannon Weaver Model

A businessman sends a message via phone text to his worker about a meeting happening about their brand promotion.
The worker does not receive the full message because of noise. It goes like this:
 Businessman: We have a meeting at the office ("at 8 am" goes missing due to phone network disruption or noise)
 Worker (feedback): At what time?
Here,
 Sender: Businessman
 Encoder: Telephone network company
 Channel: Mobile network
 Noise: Missing text due to disruption
 Decoder: Mobile phone
 Receiver: Worker
The transmission error is the noise in this case. The feedback lets the businessman know that the message reached
incomplete. The receiver gets the chance to get the full message only after his feedback.

Levels of Communication Problems

There are three levels of problems of communication according to Shannon Weaver. They are:
1. Technical problem –How a channel causes a problem
2. Semantic problem –Is the meaning of message sent and received very different
3. Effectiveness problem –How effectively does the message cause reaction

Advantages of Shannon Weaver Model

 Concept of noise helps in making the communication effective by removing the noise or problem causing noise.
 This model takes communication as a two way process. It makes the model applicable in general communication.
 Communication is taken as quantifiable in Shannon Weaver model.

Criticisms of Shannon Weaver Model

 It can be applied more for interpersonal communication than group communication and mass communication.
 Receiver plays the passive part in the communication process as sender plays the primary role that sends
messages.
 Feedback is taken as less important in comparison to the messages sent by the sender.
 The model is taken by some critics as a "misleading misrepresentation of the nature of human communication"
as human communication is not mathematical in nature.

Jakobson's Model of Communication

Roman Jakobson's model of the functions of language distinguishes six elements, or factors of communication, that are
necessary for communication to occur:
Linguistic sounds, considered as external, physical phenomena, have two aspects, the motor and the acoustic. Of the
two aspects of sound it is the acoustic aspect which has inter-subjective, social significance, whereas the motor
phenomenon, or the workings of the vocal apparatus, is merely a physiological prerequisite of the acoustic phenomenon.
The immediate goal of the phonatory act is the acoustic phenomenon which the speaker aims at producing. It is only the
acoustic phenomenon which is directly accessible to the listener. When I speak it is in order to be heard. Yet phonetics in
the neogrammarian period concerned itself in the first place with the articulation of sound and not with its acoustic
aspect (Jakobson 1990).

With this in mind, Jakobson claimed that language must be investigated in all the variety of its functions. Before
discussing the poetic function, one must define its place among the other functions of language. An outline of those
functions demands a concise survey of the constitutive factors in any speech event, in any act of verbal communication.
 The Addresser (speaker, author) sends a message (the verbal act, the signifier) to the Addressee (the hearer or reader).
To be operative, the message requires a Context (a referent, the signified), seizable by the addresses, and either verbal
or capable of being verbalized; a Code (shared mode of discourse, shared language) fully, or at least partially, common
to the addresser and the addressee (in other words, to the encoder and decoder of the message); and, finally, a Contact,
a physical channel and psychological connection between the addresser and the addressee, enabling both of them to
enter and stay in communication. He claims that each of these six factors determines a different function of language. In
brief:

 the REFERENTIAL function is oriented toward the CONTEXT

 the EMOTIVE (expressive) function is oriented toward the ADDRESSER
 the CONATIVE (action-inducing, such as a command) function is oriented toward the ADDRESSEE
 the METALINGUAL (language speaking about language) function is oriented toward the CODE
 the POETIC function is oriented toward the MESSAGE for its own sake.

One of the six functions is always the dominant function in a text and usually related to the type of text. In poetry, the
dominant function is the poetic function: The focus is on the message itself.

The true hallmark of poetry is, according to Jakobson, "…the projection of the principle of equivalence from the axis of
selection to the axis of combination…." Very broadly speaking, it implies that poetry successfully combines and
integrates form and function, that poetry turns the poetry of grammar into the grammar of poetry (Jakobson 1960, pp.
350-377).

Saussure's Model of Communication