An Introduction to

Translation
Karrar Muhammad
 1 Chewing gum, hats, and sunglasses are strictly
prohibited in the lecture hall.

2 Time ought to be respected.

3 Phones must be on silent mode.

Rules of the lecture

4 Cheaters are never forgiven.
hall
❑ Translation: Etymology, Definition,
and History
❑ Key Concepts
❑ Translation or Interpretation?
❑ Strategies of Translation
❑ Translation’s Requirements
❑ Steps for Novice Translators
 Imam Ali (pbuh) said:

Knowledge revives the soul, enlightens

the mind, and destroys ignorance.
 What is
Translation?
 Translation: Etymology

❖ The English word translation has been derived from the Latin word
translation, which itself comes from trans- and latum—together
meaning "carrying across" or "bringing across.
 Translation: Definitions
❖ Translation is often defined as the communication of the meaning of a
source-language text by means of an equivalent target-language text
(Foster, 1958).

❖ Translation refers to the process of, or the product resulting from,

transferring or mediating written text(s) of different lengths (ranging
from words and sentences to entire books) from one human language
to another (Catford, 1995).

❖ Translation is a mental process of rendering meaning, ideas, or

messages of a text from one language to another without causing any
loss to the original text.
 History of translation
❖It is known that translation was carried out as early as the Mesopotamian era when
the Sumerian poem, Gilgamesh, was translated into Asian languages. (2000 BC)

❖The translation of the inscriptions in two ancient Egyptian languages- hieroglyphic and
Demotic and their translations in ancient Greek. (196 BC)

❖Scholars have been attempting to produce translations of the Bible for a number of
centuries. (Late 300s onwards)

❖In the flourishing city of Baghdad, Caliph Al-Ma’mun built the House of Wisdom where
many manuscripts and books were translated from the languages of Greece, Persia,
India and Syria into Arabic.(Early 800s)

❖In later periods, Ancient Greek texts were also translated by Roman poets and were
adapted to create developed literary works for entertainment. (1400s)
 History of translation

❖The industrial revolution enabled the development and improvement of things like
printing and distributing content, which meant that translation could be faster and
more formalized. (1800s)

❖The race for effective machine translation began in New York. (1954)

❖The beginning of the internet dramatically changed access to translation as online

translation tools became available. (Mid 1990 onwards)
 Key Concepts
❖ A translator is a writer who writes the author’s original message in
another language, maintaining the original writer’s ideas.

❖ Text: any given stretch of speech or writing assumed to make a coherent

whole. A minimal text may consist of a single word – for instance, the
road sign ‘ ‫ قف‬stop’. A maximal text may run into thousands of pages.

❖ Source language (SL): the language from which the text is translated,
for example English.
❖ Target language (TL): the language into which the text is translated, for
example Arabic.
❖ Equivalent: a word or phrase that means exactly the same thing in both
languages, for instance, book: ‫كتاب‬.
 Key Concepts

❖ Context: an important notion in the process of translating because the type

of equivalence that the competent translator opts for, depends primarily on
contextual factors. Basically, there are three contextual factors: the author,
the text, and the audience.

❖ Transliteration: the act or process of writing words using a different

alphabet. (e.g., Allah).
 Translation vs. interpretation

TRANSLATION: INTERPRETATION:
• Translators transfer WRITTEN text from • Interpreters interpret SPOKEN language.
one language to another language.

LANGUAGE SKILLS: LANGUAGE SKILLS:

• Deep knowledge of grammar and • Flawless command of spoken language
stylistics. and proper articulation.

PERSONALITY TRAITS: PERSONALITY TRAITS:

• Detail oriented • Excellent communication skills
• Perfectionist • Ability to work under pressure
• Analytical • Multitasking
• Patient • Good listener
 Translation vs. interpretation

WORK TOOLS WORK TOOLS

• CAT tools • Interpretation equipment (simultaneous
• Dictionaries interpreting)
 Translation: Etymology & Definition
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Strategies of Translation
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your Presentations. Easy to change colors, photos and Text. You can simply impress your audience and add a unique zing and
appeal to your Presentations. Easy to change colors, photos and Text. I hope and I believe that this Template will your Time, Money
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colors, photos and Text. Get a modern PowerPoint Presentation that is beautifully designed.

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 1) Literal Translation

❖ Literal translation is probably the oldest type of translation practice. It

involves the conveyance of denotative meaning of phrases and sentences
in a text from one language to another. Therefore, literal translation works
where there is correspondence between the two languages in terms of
semantics (i.e., meaning) and structure as can be illustrated by the
following English sentence and its Arabic translation:

Ali went to the market yesterday.

.‫ذهب علي إلى السوق أمس‬
 2) Free Translation
❖ Free translation is a method to deliver the intended meaning of the source
text without paying attention to details such as syntax, style and so on of the
original text. Free translation is suitable in case the translation is difficult to
be understood or accepted by the readers or the translation seems not as
attractive or powerful as the original text by approach of literal translation.
For example:

You should buy a lock for your car.

.‫سرقة السيارات منتشرة هذه االيام‬
Honesty is the best policy.
.‫أنت خنت األمانة‬
 3) Metaphorical Translation
❖ Metaphorical translation involves the translation of SL metaphors into
TL metaphors. It is inevitable in literary translations, proverbs and
idiomatic expressions. Translators of metaphors should pay attention to not
only the meaning but also the context and culture of both source text and
target text. Consider the following examples:

Ahmed will be flogging a dead horse if he ever tried to do a Ph.D. in

linguistics.
.‫ستذهب جهود أحمد أدراج الرياح إذا ما حاول أن يحصل على شهادة الدكتوراة في اللغويات‬
.‫سيفشل أحمد إذا ما حاول أن يحصل على شهادة الدكتوراة في اللغويات‬
Charity begins at home.
‫األ ْق َربُونَ ْأولَى ِبال َم ْع ُروف‬
 4) Precis Translation
❖ Precis translation is a translation method whereby the translator gives a
TL summary of the SL text he is dealing with. Such TL summary
translations usually provide the reader with only the main points of the
SL text, thus ignoring many fine details that are deemed contextually
unimportant or, even irrelevant. For example:

After failing to cut their way into the van with what is believed to have been
a chain saw, some of the gang forced the driver and a guard to open the rear
door at gunpoint.
.‫فتح بعض أفراد العصابة الباب الخلفي للشاحنة‬
 What qualifications
does a translator need?
 Translation’s Requirements

The translator should have:

• Target language (TL) knowledge.

• Source language (SL) knowledge.
• Text type knowledge.
• Contrastive knowledge.
• A fully competent translator isn’t only bilingual, but also bicultural.
 Steps for Novice Translators
1. Skim the text to get the general idea of the topic.

2. A second (or more) careful reading of the text until the meaning becomes
completely clear.

3. A third reading of the paragraph to identify words, terms, or phrases

whose meaning is difficult, then do not hesitate to consult dictionaries to
reach the intended meaning.

4. A fourth reading of each sentence, then a literal translation.

5. A fifth reading of each sentence, then recomposing the sentence to match

the style of the language transferred.

6. Final review of the text to eliminate spelling, grammatical and stylistic

errors.
 “The rising and setting of the sun was once
attributed to Helios and a flaming chariot.
Earthquakes and tidal waves were the wrath of
Poseidon. Science has now proven those gods to be
false idols. Soon all gods will be proven to be false
idols. Science has now provided answers to almost
every question man can ask.”

Dan Brown
Thank you