Translation Methodology

Methods, Levels and

Techniques

By
Libardo Ospino
Professional Translator

September 2003
The Analysis of the Text
 Reading the text
- Is the starting point

We read the text to:

 Understand what it is about.

 Analyse it from a translator’s point of view not

from a linguistic, literary, teacher or student
standpoint

 To determine its intention

 To determine the way it is written to select a

suitable translation method
Kinds of Reading when Analysing
the Text
 General reading
 We read the text
 To get the gist (the big picture)
 Other sources to expand knowledge

 Close reading
 Words in context
 Out of context
 Look for acronyms, measures, and so
on
The Last Reading
This last reading is done to

 Note the cultural aspects of the SL text

 Underline neologisms, methaphors,

cultural words and institutional terms
peculiar to the SL, proper names,
technical terms and the untranslatable
words (“e.g., iPod”)
The Analysis of the Text
 Macro analysis  Reading the text
 Micro analysis  The intention of the text
 The intention of the
translator
 Text styles
 Narrative, description,
discussion, dialogue
 The readership
 The quality of the
writing
The Intention of the Text
 We read to search for the
intention of the text
 The intention of the text goes
hand in hand with the
understanding of the text
 The title may be remote from the
content as well as the intention
The Intention of the Text
 It is necessary to pay special attention
to the type of language and even the
grammatical structure (passive voice –
impersonal verbs)

 The intention of the text represents

the SL writer’s attitude of the text
The Intention of the Translator

 Usually, the translator’s intention is

identical with that of the author of
the SL text
 For less educated readers,
explanation may be required
 The Quality of the Writing
 The quality of the writing has to be judged in
relation to the author’s intention and the
requirements of the subject matter.

 The authority of the text is derived from good

writing but also from the status of the SL
writer.

 If the SL writer is recognized as important in

his field, and he is making an official
statement, the text is also authoritative.


 Connotation and Denotation

 Denotation: What the text means.

 Connotation: What the text implies.

 In non-literary texts, denotation takes

precedence over connotations-

 In literary texts, the opposite is true.