Translation theories

Translation Theories
1. Prescriptive approach.
2. Descriptive approach.
3. Translation as interpretation.
4. Inductive approach.
5. Communicative approach.
Educators, scientists and analysts apply descriptive and prescriptive approaches or
theories to their instructional methods and workplace responsibilities. The two theories
are abstract, so there's no definite, infallible answer as to which approach is better. The
prescriptive approach maintains traditional rules of grammar, such as classical rules
established by Greek and Latin educators. The descriptive approach asserts that
grammar, linguistics, data analysis and even ethics are adaptable and don't follow
traditional clear-cut rules.
 Instinctive or Learned Language

Descriptive usages are generally understood and don't need to be taught, especially to native
speakers. Because descriptivists more easily accept change due to syntax modifications and
cultural influences, they believe language is learned or understood rather than taught. For
example, you don't need to teach students that your voice goes down at the end of a statement
and up at the end of a question. Similarly, you don't have to teach students that lying is dishonest
and stealing is unjust.

By contrast, the prescriptive definition states that rules must be taught and often involve
value judgments.
 Flexibility Factors in Prescriptive Language

Prescriptive and descriptive theorists differ on their approach to instruction.

Prescriptivists typically abide by traditional elements that strive to preserve long-lasting
grammatical rules, word forms, processes or behaviors even if the rules are outdated.
Descriptivists allow for change and are willing to forgo some rules to fit current norms.

For example, descriptivists might allow students to use either "slow" or "slowly" to modify a
verb because people often use the words interchangeably. As an example in prescriptive
language, the word "slowly" would be held up as the only form of the word "slow" that should be
used as an adverb.
Professional translators must find the balance between making their finished works
grammatically correct, while keeping them understandable to the intended target —
especially challenging if the audience is not a dictionary or a professional linguist.
Translation, as a communicative act,
involves interpretation made by the
translator, which takes the context of the
target text reader and his knowledge into
consideration. The translator’s
interpretation is made in such a way
which is deemed relevant to the target
reader in the sense that the target reader The interpretation may
unquestionably differ from a
can understand something from the translator/theorist to another as
more than a single
utterance translated by the translator in interpretation is often
accordance with relevance theory. possible.
Translation as interpretation
Several factors may contribute to the process of interpretation. Amongst these factors are future
expectations, religious beliefs, cultural assumptions, scientific hypotheses, anecdotal memories,
expectations about the speaker’s way of thinking, etc.

The Interpretive Theory of Translation is a concept established in the 1970s by Danica Seleskovitch, a
French translation scholar. She challenged the view prevailing at the time that translation was no more
than a linguistic activity, one language being merely transcoded into another. She described translation
as a triangular process: from one language to sense and from sense to the other language. She
coined the name Interpretive Theory of Translation and, even before Translation Studies became a field
in its own right, introduced the process of translation into the vast area of cognitive research.
Basic principles
According to Interpretive Theory of Translation, the process of translation is divided
into three stages: comprehension, deverbalization, and reformulation

Comprehension Deverbalization Reformulation

Integrating new information to
prior knowledge and further
adjusting to the new situation.
Comprehension means adding
extra linguistic knowledge to
linguistic signs, new information
constantly enriching extra
linguistic knowledge.
We keep in mind facts, notions,
events conveyed by words, but we
do not retain these words in our
memory. It suggests that language
and thought are located in
different areas in the brain.
Envisages the creation in context
of equivalences between segments
of speeches or texts. No fully
literal translation of a text will
ever be possible, be it only due to
the dissimilarity of languages.
 Inductive approach

➔ Is also called a bottom-up approach.

➔ Starts from the smaller units (usually terms, phrases or
sentences) and works up to the larger ones (text, context,
genre, culture).
➔ Shifts are categorized on many levels from the micro (below
sentence level) to the macro (in her case, text-scale narrative
structures).
➔ Presupposes far too quickly that the meanings of language are
clear and stable (i.e. not subject to interpretation).
An inductive approach means finding features in the data of the product
which suggest the existence of particular elements and systematic
relations in the process.
Communicative
approach
In other contexts, however, the conclusion
refers to the final chapter, where you wrap up
your dissertation with a final reflection on
We communicate to transfer information from one what you found. This type of conclusion
person to another. Translation helps people often also includes recommendations for
future research or practice.
communicate if they speak different languages.
In this chapter, it’s important to leave the
reader with a clear impression of why your
Thus, translation is a two-facet phenomenon: on research matters. What have you added to
what was already known?
the one hand, it is the process of transferring
information; on the other hand, it is the result of
this process. By the result is meant a new text
created in translating.
The communicative situation consists of several elements:

Adresser
Source text
Translation
Target text
Addressee

According to the communicative-functional approach to translation:

1) translation must be treated as a professional activity performed in a

certain setting (situation);
2) goals, aims and intentions of communication actors (including those
who represent the TL culture) must be taken into account by a translator in
order to choose an appropriate translation strategy.
Thanks for your attention!