The problems of translation of foreign texts and the ways of their solving

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THE PROBLEMS OF TRANSLATION OF FOREIGN TEXTS AND THE WAYS OF THEIR SOLVING

Sechka S.V.,

The Senior lecturer of the foreign languages department “Donbas State Teachers' Training University”

Аннотация

В статье рассмотрены основные проблемы перевода с иностранного языка на родной. Автором подчеркнута важность этого процесса. Некорректный перевод может привести от недоразумения к фатальным последствиям. Особую роль играет сама личность переводчика. Способность использовать собственные таланты при переводе играет важную роль в этом процессе. Автором также рассмотрены различные подходы к решению проблем перевода.

Ключевые слова: перевод, анализ, корректность, трансформация, эффективность.

Анотація

Сєчка С.В. Проблеми перекладу іноземних текстів і шляхи їх вирішення

У статті розглянуто головні проблеми перекладу з іноземної мови рідною. Автором підкреслено важливість цього процесу. Некоректний переклад може призвести від непорозуміння до фатальних наслідків. Особливу роль відіграє сама особистість перекладача. Здатність використати власні таланти під час перекладу відіграє важливу роль у цьому процесі. Також розглянуто різні підходи до вирішення проблем перекладу.

Ключові слова: переклад, аналіз, коректність, трансформація, ефективність.

Summary

The article deals with the main problems of translation from a foreign into native language. The author emphasizes the importance of this process. An incorrect translation can lead from misunderstandings to fatal consequences. A special role is played by the personality of the translator. The ability to use person's own talents during translation plays an important role in this process. The author also considers different approaches to solving translation problems.

Key words: translation, analysis, correctness, transformation, efficiency.

The problem of the research. Translation activities have several specific goals, depending on the specific situation and scope. The main purpose of the translation is to serve as an intercultural multilingual means of communication between people. In the last few decades, this activity has evolved in connection with the growth of international trade, the growth of migration, globalization, the recognition of language minorities and the expansion of the media. In this regard, the translator plays an important role in the multilingual transmitter of culture and information, which tries to interpret the concepts and contents of various statements in the most accurate way.

The relevance of the study is beyond doubt. The consequences of improper translations can be catastrophic, especially if it is unprofessional, and mistakes that are made during this activity can be fatal. This is especially true in cases of serious misconduct in the fields of medicine, legal issues or technology.

Obviously, a bad translation can lead not only to a bit of confusion, but it can also be a matter of life and death. Therefore, the goal of training translators lies not only in the acquisition of orientation skills in languages, translations and their technologies, but also in specific areas of knowledge and in professional ethics.

The subject of the research is problematic when translating from foreign to native language.

The object of the study is the process of translating of lexical units from foreign into the native language.

The purpose of the study is to analyze the peculiarities of the translation process, its problems and methods of their solutions.

Analysis of research and publications. A large number of native and foreign scholars examined the laws, principles and problems of translation, among them: V. Karaban, Y Ryzker, V. Komissarov, P. Newmark, R. Bell, and others.

Most theoreticians of translation practice agree that the translation is understood as the process of transferring of information from foreign to the native language. However, market is increasingly required for translators to translate texts into a language to another than their own. P. Newmark calls this phenomenon a “service translation”. The scientist also argued: “I assume that most translators learn to translate into their usual usage language, as this is the only way they can translate naturally, accurately and with maximum efficiency. Consequently, most translators carry out translations based on their native language” [3, p. 25].

This fact makes the translation process more difficult, sometimes resulting in mediocre translations, which, without a doubt, should be reviewed and edited before printing.

Main material. If translation is a discursive operation involving language and thought, we must recognize that in art or the skill of translation we will inevitably face many obstacles.

D. Dellisle emphasizes how thin the translation process is: “Translation is a hard work that from time to time leads you to frustration, but at the same time it continuously enriches us with new skills and knowledge” [1, p. 101].

There are many obstacles that may arise during the translation process, regardless of the nature of the text we are working with. The first problem is the ability to read and understand the original language. Once the interpreter has coped with this obstacle, the further difficulties of translation will be semantic and cultural [5].

Very often we encounter such a phenomenon as “linguistic non-translatability”, which includes related and similar words, tracing forms and its forms, standardized terms, neologisms, aphorisms, etc.

Another obstacle for an interpreter is the “cultural inability to translate”, which includes idioms, proverbs, jokes, puns, etc. It is necessary to take a very cautious attitude towards such words or expressions in order to avoid incorrect and abusive language [2].

Similarly, we often encounter specific terms for which even the dictionary or carrier of the translation language can not provide a solution for transmitting the exact value. In such cases, it should be noted that one of the best qualities of an interpreter is «contextualizing intuition» that lies in the ability to find the closest interpretation of the meaning of an unknown element in its context.

Inspite of the difficulties in the translation process, it should be directed to the essence of the message and to the value of the original text transmitted to the language of translation. According to E. Nida and C. Tabar: “Translation consists of reproducing the nearest equivalent of the message from the original to the language of translation with all the semantic and stylistic aspects” [4, p. 68].

To a large extent, the quality of the translation will depend on the personal qualities of the translator himself, that depends on his knowledge, skills, level of education, cultural background, experience and even mood. P. Newmark highlights some essential characteristics that any professional translator must possess: the ability to recognize texts in a foreign language, knowledge and sensitivity to language (both native and foreign), competence in oral and written language [3].

In addition, M. Tricas refers to intuition or common sense, as the most important of all the qualities of an interpreter. In other words, in the translation process it is very important to use a combination of intelligence, sensitivity and intuition: “The translation process is a complex mechanism for choosing approaches in which all intellectual abilities, skills and intuitions must be used” [5, p. 98]. translation text lexical language

As for the improvement of translation skills, scientists highlight several approaches:

A cognitive approach is applied to the process of transferring ideas from one language to another, which obviously means much more than a simple reproduction model. In the preparatory phase of the translation, knowledge in the form of self-awareness and confidence in itself plays a very important role, since this period involves conscious mental activity, in which the problems with translation are detected and analyzed [2].

It should be noted that from a psychological and social point of view, an interpreter who is an intellectual worker with special professional characteristics will be more successful if special attention is paid to his socio-affective development. In this case, it may be better prepared to work with people, and also to achieve a higher level of tolerance, showing self-criticism and sensitivity.

Global approach. Considering the main approaches to translation, it should be noted that the most well-known theorists agree on the following aspects:

First, there are certain rules for understanding and interpreting texts, which mean the management of the principles of special approaches to different types of texts, taking into account their individual characteristics. This competence includes understanding the reading and interpretation of messages (encoding and decoding).

Secondly, the most important aspect is also reformulation. This means the use of different strategies for the process of restitution of the message (recoding), by choosing the appropriate methods and techniques. The most commonly used techniques for conveying the main idea contained in units of translation that a translator can use include: the transmission of cultural or functional equivalents, synonymy, transposition, modulation; reduction and expansion of the meaning of the word, as well as the strengthening of its meaning [3].

These elements form the essence of the translation, and are also part of the competence of the translator. They should be most clearly identified in the preparation of future translators. For these purposes, it is also necessary to use different types of literature: parallel texts, monolingual and bilingual dictionaries, encyclopedias, terminology database, and other sources.

Thirdly, the translation theorists attach great importance to the evaluation of the result, that is, to prove the correspondence of the meanings of the translated text and its original. In this case, the translator has the ability to adequately assess the translation, indicate its shortcomings, demonstrating the ability to self-correcting. Viewing the result of an unsuccessful translation will always lead to a definitive translation of higher quality.

Special approaches. According to most theorists of translation, specific approaches to the translation of the text, as a rule, are similar. On the one hand, one or more translated approaches or models need to be used. On the other hand, there is always a way to get closer to the target language text, regardless of whether the translator selects certain types of models: author-oriented, structured-oriented, text oriented, cognitive or oriented to the reader. Depending on the situation, translators will use one or another model, but many of them are prone to the eclectic integration of all models.

Translators need to understand that misunderstanding of the text greatly reduces the quality of translation. Therefore, it is necessary to use reading comprehension strategies for translation (selection of words, definition of translation difficulties, contextualization of lexical elements, adaptation, analysis, etc.).

Finding solutions by dilemma is a constant process in the work of an interpreter. This includes work with such problem phenomena as: linguistic or cultural «non-transferability», the ability to manage the shortcomings and advantages of translation, the solution of lexical ambiguity, etc. These problems are solved by using various mechanisms, such as: explanatory notes, adaptations, equivalence, paraphrasing, analogies, etc.

Translators also need to understand that the meaning of what is said is transmitted not only in words. Consequently, adequate decoding and re-encoding of drawings, tables and charts; standardized terms, acronyms, metonymy, toponyms are elements that them should be given special attention.

A professional translator should identify some essential points for maximizing the approach to the text to be translated, for example: the purpose of the text, its reader audience, the special standards used by the author, the message that carries the text, the type of discourse, the translator and the reader.

Another important aspect is the previous editing of the source text to detect its possible inaccuracies, on the one hand, and the post-editing of the translated text to verify the use of the most appropriate syntactic, semantic units, on the other hand.

Among the formal issues, translators need to know and control the sound effect and cadence of translated text in order to avoid incorrect phonetic combinations and tracing of the original language.

It should also be noted that translators must constantly choose the translation strategy in each paragraph in order to decide which ones are most useful for the correct transmission of the ideas of a certain text. This means adapting the most effective strategies and methods to the requirements of the text, and not applying only one particular technique to all types of texts.

Another important aspect is that translators must always preserve the style, the essence, the meaning of the source text, as well as its format: paragraphs, table indents, references to sources. By following all these forms, the maximum approximation to the original text will be achieved.

Translators like all professionals need to be continuously trained and refined through their experience, self-examination and self-correction. Their “production” potential should not always be measured in terms of translated pages or words, but rather assess the quality of the finished work which requires compliance with many standards and rules. The main task of the translation is the transfer of the basic idea and meaning of a foreign language to the native language, while taking into account all linguistic and cultural characteristics.

To solve problems that arise during translation, the translator must use all his mind, creativity, intuition and ingenuity. In this issue, the general level of the translator's intelligence and his professional training is very important. A prospect for further research may be the analysis of translation problems with certain linguistic units.

References

1. Delisle J. L'Enseignement de l'interprйtation et de la traduction. Ottawa: Editions de l'Universitй d'Ottawa., 1981. 321 p.

2. Kussmaul P. Training the Translator. L.: John Benjamins Publishing Co, 1995. 145 p.

3. Newmark P A Textbook of Translation. C.: Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data, 1995. 457 p.

4. Nida E., Taber C. The Theory and Practice of Translating. N.Y.: Brill, Leiden, 1974. 195 p.

5. Tricas M. Manual de traducciфn francйs-castellano. B.: Gedisa S.A, 1995. 430 p.

6. Сечка С. В. Проблемы перевода иностранных текстов и пути их решения.

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