Technical translation
Technical translation is a type of specialized translation involving the translation of documents produced by technical writers (owner's manuals, user guides, etc.), or more specifically, texts which relate to technological subject areas or texts which deal with the practical application of scientific and technological information. While the presence of specialized terminology is a feature of technical texts, specialized terminology alone is not sufficient for classifying a text as "technical" since numerous disciplines and subjects which are not "technical" possess what can be regarded as specialized terminology[1]. Technical translation covers the translation of many kinds of specialized texts and requires a high level of subject knowledge and mastery of the relevant terminology [2] and writing conventions.
The importance of consistent terminology in technical translation, for example in patents, as well as the highly formulaic and repetitive nature of technical writing makes computer-assisted translation using translation memories and terminology databases especially appropriate. In his book Technical Translation Jody Byrne argues that technical translation is closely related to technical communication and that it can benefit from research in this and other areas such as usability and cognitive psychology.
Fun with English Camp (Group 01)
12/28/2553
week 3
Learning log out class
Translation problems
General problems
Translation is inherently a difficult activity. Translators can face additional problems which make the process even more difficult, such as:
• Problems with the source text:
o Changes made to the text during the translation process
o Illegible text
o Misspelled or misprinted text
o Incomplete text
o Poorly written text
o Missing references in the text (for example the translator is to translate captions to missing photos)
o The source text contains a translation of a quotation that was originally made in the target language, and the original text is unavailable, making word-for-word quoting nearly impossible
o Obvious inaccuracies in the source text (for example "prehistoric Buddhist ruins", when Buddhism was not founded during prehistoric times)
• Language problems
o Dialect terms and neologisms
o Unexplained acronyms and abbreviations
o Obscure jargon
• Other
o Rhymes, puns and poetic meters
o Highly specific cultural references
o Subtle but important properties of language such as euphony or dissonance
Translation problems
General problems
Translation is inherently a difficult activity. Translators can face additional problems which make the process even more difficult, such as:
• Problems with the source text:
o Changes made to the text during the translation process
o Illegible text
o Misspelled or misprinted text
o Incomplete text
o Poorly written text
o Missing references in the text (for example the translator is to translate captions to missing photos)
o The source text contains a translation of a quotation that was originally made in the target language, and the original text is unavailable, making word-for-word quoting nearly impossible
o Obvious inaccuracies in the source text (for example "prehistoric Buddhist ruins", when Buddhism was not founded during prehistoric times)
• Language problems
o Dialect terms and neologisms
o Unexplained acronyms and abbreviations
o Obscure jargon
• Other
o Rhymes, puns and poetic meters
o Highly specific cultural references
o Subtle but important properties of language such as euphony or dissonance
week 2
Learning log out class
Translation process
The translation process, whether it be for translation or interpreting, can be described simply as:
1. Decoding the meaning of the source text, and
2. Re-encoding this meaning in the target language.
To decode the meaning of a text the translator must first identify its component "translation units", that is to say the segments of the text to be treated as a cognitive unit. A translation unit may be a word, a phrase or even one or more sentences. Behind this seemingly simple procedure lies a complex cognitive operation. To decode the complete meaning of the source text, the translator must consciously and methodically interpret and analyse all its features. This process requires thorough knowledge of the grammar, semantics, syntax, idioms and the like of the source language, as well as the culture of its speakers.
The translator needs the same in-depth knowledge to re-encode the meaning in the target language. In fact, often translators' knowledge of the target language is more important, and needs to be deeper, than their knowledge of the source language. For this reason, most translators translate into a language of which they are native speakers.
In addition, knowledge of the subject matter being discussed is essential.
In recent years studies in cognitive linguistics have been able to provide valuable insights into the cognitive process of translation.
Translation process
The translation process, whether it be for translation or interpreting, can be described simply as:
1. Decoding the meaning of the source text, and
2. Re-encoding this meaning in the target language.
To decode the meaning of a text the translator must first identify its component "translation units", that is to say the segments of the text to be treated as a cognitive unit. A translation unit may be a word, a phrase or even one or more sentences. Behind this seemingly simple procedure lies a complex cognitive operation. To decode the complete meaning of the source text, the translator must consciously and methodically interpret and analyse all its features. This process requires thorough knowledge of the grammar, semantics, syntax, idioms and the like of the source language, as well as the culture of its speakers.
The translator needs the same in-depth knowledge to re-encode the meaning in the target language. In fact, often translators' knowledge of the target language is more important, and needs to be deeper, than their knowledge of the source language. For this reason, most translators translate into a language of which they are native speakers.
In addition, knowledge of the subject matter being discussed is essential.
In recent years studies in cognitive linguistics have been able to provide valuable insights into the cognitive process of translation.
outclass
week 1
What is Translation?
Translation is an activity comprising the interpretation of the meaning of a text in one language — the source text — and the production, in another language, of a new, equivalent text — the target text, or translation.
Traditionally, translation has been a human activity, although attempts have been made to automate and computerize the translation of natural-language texts — machine translation — or to use computers as an aid to translation — computer-assisted translation.
The goal of translation is to establish a relation of equivalence of intent between the source and target texts (that is to say, to ensure that both texts communicate the same message), while taking into account a number of constraints. These constraints include context, the rules of grammar of both languages, their writing conventions, their idioms, and the like.
What is Translation?
Translation is an activity comprising the interpretation of the meaning of a text in one language — the source text — and the production, in another language, of a new, equivalent text — the target text, or translation.
Traditionally, translation has been a human activity, although attempts have been made to automate and computerize the translation of natural-language texts — machine translation — or to use computers as an aid to translation — computer-assisted translation.
The goal of translation is to establish a relation of equivalence of intent between the source and target texts (that is to say, to ensure that both texts communicate the same message), while taking into account a number of constraints. These constraints include context, the rules of grammar of both languages, their writing conventions, their idioms, and the like.
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