Literary ArtisticTranslation as a kind of interpretation

Literary Translating represents the highest level of a translator's activity. Any type of
matter skilfully turned into the target language, especially by a regular master of the
pen may acquire the faithfulness and the literary (or artistic) standard equal to that of
the source language.
Depending on the type of the matter under translation, this method of performance
may be either literary proper or literary artistic.
Kinds of translating/interpreting
the sense of a language unit (the content of a whole matter) can be conveyed in the
target language either in writing or in viva voce (orally). Depending on the form of
conveying the sense/ content, the following kinds or types of translating/interpreting
are to be distinguished:
The written from a written matter translating, which represents a literary/literary
artistic or any other faithful sense-to-sense translating from or into a foreign
language. It may also be a free interpreting performed in writing. The matter under
translation may be a belles-lettres passage (prose or poetry work), a scientific or
technical/ newspaper passage / article, etc.
The oral from an oral matter interpreting, which is a regular oral sense-to-sense
rendering of a speech/radio or TV interview, or recording which can proceed either in
succession (after the whole matter or part of it is heard) or simultaneously with its
sounding. This consecutive interpreting is a piecemeal performance and the inter-
preter can make use of the time, while the speech/recording is proceeding, for
grasping its content and selecting the necessary means of expression for some
language units of the original matter. There is also a possibility to interrupt (stop) the
speaker/recording in order to clarify some obscure place. As a result, consecutive
interpreting can take more or a little less time than the source language speech/
recording lasts. That can be well observed when interpreting a film, each still of
which in the process of the simultaneous interpretation takes the time, allotted to it in
the source language. Therefore, simultaneous interpreting is performed within the
same time limit, i.e., takes the same amount of time or a little more/less, than the
source matter lasts.
The oral from a written matter interpreting is nothing else than interpreting at sight. It
can also proceed either simultaneously with the process of getting acquainted with
the content of the written matter, or in succession (after each part of it is first read
through and comprehended). The former way of interpreting, if carried out faithfully
and exactly on time with the consecutive conveying of the matter, may be considered
simultaneous too. Usually, however, it is a regular prepared beforehand kind of
interpreting.
It has been noted by some of our experienced translators that translation is a type of
art. Evidently, this process takes years of experience but once it is mastered, it can be
most exciting for a translator. Literally, what a translator does, is he/she converts a
picture in one language and paints it with the words of the other language. This
process takes creativity and imagination as the translator must think.
What a translator is doing when they are translating, is actually interpreting a
message, figuring out what it means in one language and then they are translating it
into another language. Most of the time translation is not done literally There are
some words that translate literally like numbers and maybe some health and safety
processes and procedures. The second you get outside of a process or a procedure
things are not literal anymore. Even some words in French that are very well known
like “faux amis” (which means “false friends”) if translated literally may mean
something completely different.
Essentially, translation is an art because the translator is trying to figure out what is
meant in one language and then is basically painting a picture of what is meant in the
other language. When you are dealing with different cultures and ethnicities, you are
really translating a message and what is intended from the speaker into the new
culture with now adding on a layer of cultural sensitivity. We’ve all heard of the
recent US presidency and his remarks. There are actually a few times where he was
saying some things that the interpreter just could not translate what he said because it
would be an absolute offense to a person of the other language. So the translator
would have had to creatively come out with a way to communicate his message to the
target audience without slandering the person who was saying it. The Translator has
to reflect on the actual meaning and intentions of the person for whom is being
translated before interpreting the message. A translator really has to understand a
message and then paint that picture in the target language so that it comes across with
the intended meaning vs the literal meaning.
That’s why we believe that translation is an art because it gives a translator the
opportunity to paint the picture of what they believe is the meaning of this other one.
And this is subjective, many translators may translate a message differently.
Sometimes is very difficult to even understand what people mean in a native
language in English and never mind translating it into another language. Translating
something is definitely a creative process and the more we understand the writer’s
intended words what they really want to say the easier would be to paint that picture
in the target language. But it still requires an enormous amount of creativity because
some things just don’t translate.