TRANSLATION SHIFT APPROACH

Based on the definitions of translation from the experts, translating a text is not an easy task. The problems that a translator
should overcome is not only linguistics problems related to lexical and grammatical meaning, but also problems related to
culture, especially for contextual meaning and sociocultural meaning. There are many strategies, procedures, and
techniques that a translator can apply in translating a text. Translation shift is one of the techniques.

Translation shift

In translating a text, it is a common thing for a translator to change the form, or shift the form when a text is translated
from SL to TL. In the form-based translation, the problem that a translator might face is how to determine the type of shift
that he/she should apply in translating a text

Definitions:

• Shift represents some changes occurring in a translation process. Translation shifts occur both at the lower level of
language, i.e. the lexicogrammar, and at the higher level of text, thematic. Catford states that by shift we mean the
departure from formal correspondence in the process of going from the source language to the target language.
Further, he states that basically, in shift of translation, or transposition he says, it is only the form that is changed. In
addition, he urges the translation shift is done to get the natural equivalent of the source text message into the target
text
• Translation shifts are the changes that occur when a text is translated into another language due to either the
differences between the two languages or the translator's choices.

Catford's approach:

Catford defines translation as: "the replacement of textual material in one language (SL) by equivalent textual material in
another language (TL)."

Catford (1965:73) defines translation shifts as "departures from formal correspondence in the process of going from the
SL to the TL".

Let's re-examine Catford's definition of 'formal correspondent':

Formal correspondent is "any TL category (unit, class, element of structure, etc.) which can be said to occupy, as nearly as
possible, the 'same' place in the 'economy' of the TL as the given SL category occupies in the SL" (Catford 1965: 27).

In the above definition, Catford focuses on the form and the place it occupies in the TL; all the above-mentioned items are
forms (unit, class, element of structure, the word category, etc.) all indicate form rather than content. Even the expression
'it occupies...", on its value, refers to a place within some arrangement (like the case of word order) of some items, formally
speaking.

The point stressed in Catford's definition of 'shift' is that it is a change because it indicates some departure from the SLT
author's formal selections (unit, class, element of structure, etc.) or the places they occupy; in other words, changing their
forms or places in the TLT.

Catford offered a number of types of shifts:

Translation Shifts

Level Shifts Category Shifts

Level shift: is defined as a SL item at one linguistic level has a TL translation equivalent at a different level; as the example
below:

You are welcome ‫اهال وسهل‬

The level of grammar in the ST (a whole sentence) is shifted into a lexical level in Arabic, one

collocational expression ‫اهال وسهال‬

The traffic word 'stop' (lexical level) is translated into a semiotic level of a sign of red color.

He has encountered a problem this morning. ‫لقد واجه مشكلة هذا الصباح‬

The grammatical level of SLT (present perfect = has +pp) is shifted, in part, lexically by the insertion of the Arabic particle a

Category shift: This is divided into divided into four types:

• Structure shifts: which involve a grammatical change between the structure of the ST and that of the TT

Inspiration could be sparked by the shortest of ‫يمكن القرص اللحظات أن تبعث اإللهام فيضع دورة حياة االبتكار‬
moments to put the lifecycle of innovation into ..‫يف حركة مستدامة‬
sustainable motion. (Passive) (Active)
You may see that there a number of structure shifts, most obvious of which is the shift from active voice structure into
passive voice one.

→ Class shifts: which occur when a SL. item is translated into a TL item which belongs to a different grammatical class.

We should do the assignment ‫علينا ان ننجز الواجب‬

(Auxiliary) (Preposition + verb)
As you can observe there is a class shift from an auxiliary verb (should) in the SLT to an Arabic preposition (‫ )على‬in the TLT.

→ Unit shifts, which involve changes in rank, such as translating a phrase/expression/clause in one language into a
word in another, as in translating the English sentence into one word

You are defeated ‫هزمتم‬

the Muslim greeting being ideologically translated into the English
‫ السالم عليكم ورحمة هللا وبركاته‬Hello
‫ الحماة‬mother-in-law
‫ الرجل الخارق‬superman

→ Intra-system shifts: this occur where SL and TL possess systems which approximately correspond formally as to
their constitution, but when translation involves selection of a non-corresponding term in the TL system. For
example, the gender system in English marks three categories: masculine, feminine, and neutral, whereas Arabic
offers two: masculine and feminine. For example:

It is a cat (neutral) )feminine) ‫ه قطة‬

‫ي‬

Practice translate to English

‫عىل ضفة النهر‬
‫اس مستخدما الفرشات والدلو ولكن بعد‬
‫ فبدأ بمسح الغبار عىل دراجات الساللم ثم الكر ي‬،‫الصغي‬
‫ر‬ ‫" كان الدب يعمل بجد طوال الصباح يف تنظيف ربيعيا لبيته‬
‫ر‬
" ‫ وأحس بألم يف ذراعيه فقرر أن يسيي ح‬،‫مض عش دقائق الشعر بألم يف ظهره‬
‫ي‬
 THE SKOPOS

Skopos is a Greek word that means “aim” or “purpose”. This word introduced by Hans Vermeer in late 70s as a technical
term for the purpose of a translation or action of translating

Hans Vermeer was a functionalist and approaches translation from this view. He rejects equivalence-based theories of
translation and is against paying attention to effects and purposes of the source language. He instead suggests that we
should pay attention to target culture and language. According to him, when we translate, we should have a purpose in
mind, even before beginning to translate. He suggests that this purpose should define our translation strategy to reach a
functionally adequate result, which is TT. In other words, in this framework knowing why an ST is to be translated and
what the function of the TT is, are crucial for the translator

So according to Vermeer, if we consider every translation as “an action”, and each and every action has “a purpose
purpose”. Skopos theory tries to keep the “(skopos)”, so consequently the main feature of each translation will be its
equivalence between the source and the target text however, Skopos theory only regards a source text as an „offer of
information‟ to which it will eventually be simulated, as a whole or partially, into an offer of information in a target text
:by taking into account the target language The basic „rules‟ of the theory (Reiss and Vermeer) are as follows

)1(A translational action is determined by its skopos.

)2(It is an offer of information in a target culture and TL concerning an offer of information in a source culture and SL.

)3(A TT does not initiate an offer of information in a clearly reversible way.

)4(A TT must be internally coherent.

)5(A TT must be coherent with the ST.

)6(The five rules above stand in hierarchical order, with the skopos rule predominating.

THEORIES

Peter Newmark’s “It is rendering the meaning of a text into another language in the way that the author intended the
text”.
In his opinion, translating a text should begin with a detailed analysis of a text, such as the intention of the text and of
the translator, its readership, attitude, to name just a few. In addition, Newmark also considers translation as “a craft
consisting in the attempt to replace a written message and/or statement in one language by the same message and/or
statement in another language”.
The process:
1. Read the source text
2. Understand the source text
3. Re-code conveying the message, transmitted to the target language / audience

Example:
the talk was sad bad mad ‫ بدون جدوى‬/ ‫كانت المحادثات عقيمة‬

Ø According to Roman Jacobson, there are three types of translation:

o Intralingual
o interlingual
o intersemiotic.
Nida translation theory

He proposes the concept of dynamic equivalence and defines translation as “the closest natural equivalent of the
source-language message, first in terms of meaning and secondly in terms of style”.
The older focus in translation studies is the form of the message, whereas the new focus is the response of the
receptor.
In his view, the principle of translation is to make the readers of translated text response the same as the original
readers.
He believes that “each language has its own genius, and anything that can be said in one language can be said in
another, unless the form is an essential element of the language.”
Types of equivalence
Formal correspondence (literal) | ‫الشكىل‬
‫ي‬ ‫التقابل‬
→ translation must follow the source text structure (word for word)
→ special attention is given to the meaning

Dynamic equivalence (free) | ‫الديناميك‬

‫ي‬ ‫التكافؤ‬
→ the source massage must be transmitted
→ the translation must reproduce the same impact
→ the translator has the freedom to translate the way he feels appropriate to produce the source impact

Sentence Formal equivalance Dynamic equivalence

‫ الصديق وقت الضيق‬A true friend is for the time of trouble A friend in need is a friend indeed
‫ أهل مكة أدرى بشعابها‬The people of Mecah know their own streets best Know something like the back of your hand
‫ الرصاحة راحة‬Frankiness is a peace of mind Speak the truth and shame the devil
‫قصية‬
‫بصية و اليد ر‬
‫العي ر‬
‫ر‬ The eyes see but the hand cannot reach A moneyless man goes fast through the
market
‫ البيت الحرام‬The forbidden home The ka‟ba

Mouna baker : Five types of equivalent :

• Word level: we have to find exact word equivalent ST/TT, one word many have many meaning there for we have
to determine the equivalence based on the context.
Eg: right = ‫حق‬ ; right = ‫اليمين‬
Come => ‫أتى = من قريب‬
=> ‫جاء =من بعيد‬
• Above word : it concerns collocation, fixed expression, idioms

literally to shade the crocodile tears ‫يذرف دموع التماسيح‬

Dynamically like the father like the ‫من شابه اباه فما ظلم‬

• Grammatical : you have to respect the source/target syntax

English Arabic
gender he/she verb +s ‫ه تأكل‬
‫هو يأكل ي‬
Future will + verb ‫ فعل‬+‫سوف – س‬
2 persons female/male or plural = they ‫ هن‬- ‫هما – هم‬
Plural Noun + s ‫ ات‬- ‫وات‬
/ Imperative/order passive
keep away from children ‫رييك بعيدا عن منتاول االطفال‬
/ intensity (adverb) ‫مفعول المطلق‬
he was extremely happy ‫فرح فرحا شديدا‬

• Textual : make sure that the target text is as cohesive and coherent as the source text , a unity and linkness of
segments
Cohesion = form and structure; coherence = meaning
• Pragmatic
Translator should work on the implicit meaning (implicature, hidden)

What is been said: Ads (it is the best shampoo) > implicature: (buy it) motivate to buy

majda