9. Direct translating procedures.

Indirect /oblique translating procedures

In the 1950s, two French scholars named Jean-Paul Vinay and Jean Darbelnet explored the linguistic
aspects of translation. While other scholars sought to merely compare 2 languages in order to inform
the relationship between them, Vinay and Darbelnet looked at the process of translation.

• Vinay, J.P., & Darbelnet, J. (1958/2000). A Methodology for Translation. [An excerpt from
Comparative Stylistics of French and English: A Methodology for Translation trans. and eds. J.
C. Sager & M. J. Hamel, Amsterdam: John Benjamins, 1995.

Direct translating procedures

J.P Vinay and J. Darbelnet 3 basic direct translating procedures:

1.loan transfer (borrowing)

2.loan translation (calque)
3.literal translation
1. Loans imply a transfer of the SL term into the TL, as the latter has no equivalent for it. loans - to
preserve the "exotic" atmosphere of the original:
• dollar, party, lider
• saris - сари, turbans-тюрбаны, glasnost, perestroika instead of "openness" and
"reconstruction" (Soviet/Russian texts)
Loans may be chosen to convey a sound effect. Brand names are frequent cases of borrowing for
obvious economic reasons.
2. A loan translation (calque) - a particular way of using loans. Subcomponents as such are retained,
being literally translated. Calques are literal translations at the level of the phrase.
shadow cabinet - cabinetul din umbra, теневой кабинет
iron curtain - cortina de fier
shuttle diplomacy - челночная дипломатия,
backbencher - заднескамеечник
White House- Casa Albă, Белый дом
Loan TRs may degenerate into "translationese" - Awkwardness
autoservire - self-service /самообслуживание
Loan translation into Ro of TR Studies (studii de traducere or studii asupra traducerii) has not met with
the widespread approval of Ro. speakers.
Palatul Culturii - дворец культуры /The Palace of Culture, etc.
3. Literal translations - a one-to-one transfer of the SL structure, possible in cases of direct word
correspondence and identical syntactic order. The case of "perfect" linguistic equivalence, rarely met
and relevance for similar communicative situations should always be checked up:
They will take a taxi/Они возьмут такси/Ei vor lua un taxi.
We play football/Noi jucam fotbal/Мы играем в футбол.
The president said that the new-found brotherhood between the two countries had caused a major
change in the balance of forces in the region.
Президент заявил, что новообретенное братство между странами вызвало серьезную перемену в
соотношении сил в этом районе.
It is acceptable only if the translated text retains the same syntax, the same meaning and the same style
as the original text.

Indirect /oblique translating procedures

The IP which the Canadian authors suggest:

1. transposition
 2. modulation
3. equivalence
4. adaptation
1. Transposition (Tr) - oblique procedure replacing a grammatical class by another without altering the
meaning. Grammatical classes involved:
1.1. verbs replaced by nouns:
We deliver - Livrări la domiciliu. Доставка на дом.
1.2. adverbs replaced by verbs:
He merely nodded. - Se mulţumi să încuviinţeze.
1.3. adjectives replaced by nouns:
in the early 19th century – la începutul secolului al XIX-lea. В начале 19-го века
I met him in late autumn – L-am întîlnit la sfarşitul toamnei. Я познакомился с ним в конце
осени. (Я познакомился с ним поздней осенью. – as a possible variant - literal TR)
1.4. adverbs replaced by nouns:
It is popularly supposed that - Lumea crede că - Люди считают что /Считается….
1.5. verbs replaced by prepositions:
Reports reaching here indicate that – Conform rapoartelor primite aici - Согласно полученным
отчетам…
1.6. double transposition (verbs and adverbs replaced by nouns):
He successfully dealt with the situation – A rezolvat situaţia cu succes/a avut succes în
rezolvarea situaţiei - Он с успехом справился с ситуацией.
Transposition through expansion - meaning of a translated word appears as incomplete, has to be
backed by other words. Areas in which expansions most frequently occur are those of prepositions,
particles, demonstrative pronouns, conjunctions.
Expansion of a preposition by means of:
• a noun:
Passengers to Paris / Calatorii cu destinatia Paris /Пассажиры рейса (Кишинев)-Париж
• a verb:
I'll call for you / Voi trece sa te iau / Я зайду за тобой.
She came for the glasses / A venit sa ia paharele / Она пришла взять стаканы.
Expansion of demonstrative pronouns by means of nouns:
This in itself presented a difficulty / Operatia in sine prezinta o dificultate / Операция сама по
себе была сложной.
Expansion of an adjective by means of a relative clause:
The resultant financial benefits will be very high / Beneficiile financiare care vor rezulta vor fi
foarte mari / Полученная в результате финансовая выгода будет очень большой.

Some of the transpositions are compulsory whereas some others are optional; Particular Lgs privilege
different grammatical classes that seem to be more frequently exposed to transposition than others.
Romanian and Russian tend to favour nominal constructions, English favours verbal constructions:
He explained what he believed in and hoped for / Își expuse convingerile și speranțele / Он объяснил
свои убеждения и надежды.

2. Unlike transposition, relies on formal modifications, modulation (M) is subtler and more complex, it
entails a recasting of the semantic perspective. Vinay and Darbelnet consider Modulation to be
necessary when the results of the former procedures would produce an awkward-sounding TR, despite
it being grammatically, syntactically, and lexically correct.

Modulation is a way for the translator to find a degree of naturalness in their TT without sacrificing any
meaning or accuracy originating from the ST.
1.Lexical modulations:

1.1 geographical modulation:

to take French leave/a o şterge englezeşte/уйти по-английски;
Savoy cabbage - "varza creaţă" /кудрявая капуста (савойская капуста);
1.2 a concrete may stand for an abstract:
ultimul etaj - the top floor; последний этаж
maintenance grant - pensie alimentara/алименты;
repetitie generala/ генеральная репетиция - dress rehearsal;
1.3. a result may stand for its means:
pluton de executie /расстрельная команда – firing party
1.4 the part for the whole:
to wash one's hair - a se spala pe cap/ мыть голову;
hand-to hand fight - lupta corp la corp /
1.5 one part for another:
fireman - pompier;
to clear one's throat - a-şi drege glasul
1.6 changes of symbols or comparison terms:
as white as a sheet - alb ca varul/ белый (бледный) как мел
as good as gold - bun ca piinea calda, золотой человек
as rabbits in a warren - как сельди в бочке
2.Modulated messages require extra-linguistic competence. Modulation is a product of both thought
and structure. The divergence between 2 Lgs expressed through modulation refers to an incompatibility
between 2 mental attitudes towards the same situation.
He shut the door in my face/Mi-a trintit uşa in nas. (synecdoche)/Он захлопнул дверь перед
моим носом.
Forget it! - Nu te mai gindi!Не думай об этом! (Забудь!)
With small hope of/fără prea mari speranţe/ни на что не надеясь.
To bear in mind – a nu pierde din vedere/Чтобы иметь в виду.
She is rather plain.Nu e prea frumoasă (litotes)/Она не очень красивая. /Она простовата.)

3. Equivalence implies maintenance in the TL of the SL situation by using utterly different structural and
stylistic means. Proverbs are good examples for illustrating the way in which the whole message is
affected:

The fox may go grey but never good. Lupul îşi schimbă părul, dar năravul ba. Горбатого могила
исправит.
You could have heard a pin drop.Nu se auzea nici musca.Слышно, как муха пролетит.
To kill two birds with one stone. A ochi doi iepuri dintr-un foc. Убить двух зайцев одним выстрелом.

4. Adaptation may occur whenever the SL situation is non-existent in the TL and has to be replaced by
another.

Romanian polite gesture - kissing a lady's hand may be replaced in an English translation by a gesture
and greeting in a similar situation (a bow ).
The Romanian New Year custom called "the small plough" (Pluguşor), non-existent in the British
culture has been replaced in the translation of a literary piece by the commonly shared Christian event
of Christmas.
Pure cultural adaptation. In British Isles folklore,
• Jack Frost - an elfish creature who personifies crisp, cold, winter weather.
 • Jack Frost - responsible for leaving frosty crystal patterns on windows on cold mornings.
• Ded Moroz-a fictional character who plays a role similar to that of Santa Claus in the Russian
culture.
Though Jack Frost and Ded Moroz resemble but are different folklore characters, the translator
rendered ‘Jack Frost’ as ‘дед-мороз’ - cultural adaptation:
• … the only thing Jack Frost did for us was put a thin skin of ice on the watering ….
• … единственное, что дед-мороз дарил нам, — это тоненькую корочку льда в поильной
колоде…

Vinay and Darbelnet – explicitation "the process of introducing information into the TL which is present
only implicitly in the SL, but which can be derived from the context or the situation."
Compulsory linguistic explicitations
Mary blew into the police station with a laugh to this man and a wave of the hand to that.
Mary apăru (Mod) pe neaşteptate (OExpl) la comisariatul de poliţie rîzînd (Tr) şi făcînd (Tr) cu
mîna în dreapta şi-n stînga (Mod).
Мэри (Mod) неожиданно появилась(OExpl) в полицейском участке, (Tr)улыбаясь одним и
(Tr) приветствуя других (Mod).
Over the lobster, Debby asked me how things were going.
In timp ce mîncam homar, (CE) Debby vru să ştie (M) cum o mai duceam (M).
Пока мы ели лобстера (CE), Дебби спросил меня о том, как идут дела.
Pragmatic/Cultural explicitations whenever culture-bound terms need explanatory additions in the
translated text. The amount of information added remains to be decided by the translator, but it tends
to be extremely concise:
"It is the very best, first number, Johnnie Walker. Oh, yes. /Это самый лучший виски, Джонни
Уокер, высший класс
Ajungem in continuare la Putna, ctitorie a lui Stefan cel Mare – Our next stop is Putna
monastery, which was founded by the famous Moldovan prince Stefan cel Mare (Stephen the
Great).
Maybe they never existed, but if there ever were the People, that's the commodity the
Declaration was talking about, and Mr. Lincoln. / Может быть, Народа с большой буквы и
не существует, но если он есть, то о нем и говорила Декларация независимости, о нем
и говорил Авраам Линкольн.

The technique of explication /addition is linked to that of implicitation /omission. When using this
device (Wolfram Wilss) translators make implicit what was explicitly expressed in the source… linguistic
reasons, or because they regard the information in the original as redundant, or because of ideological
reasons. The popularity enjoyed by Vinay and Darbelnet's (text)book show that, in spite of more
complex recent developments in the discipline, the linguistic model is (still) relevant for the purposes of
translation training.

Comparative stylistics of French and English: a methodology for translation and ed. by Juan C. Sager
and M.-J. Hamel. Amsterdam/Philadelphia, John Benjamins, 1995