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Lingua Inglese 3

Lingue, civiltà e scienze del linguaggio (Università Ca' Foscari Venezia)

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LINGUA INGLESE 3

What is translation?
The term translation can refer to an activity, a product and the scholarly field that
studies both the activity and the product(s).
-It is a process
-It is a product

1) The first sense focuses on the role of the translator in taking the original or
source text and turning it into a text in another language, the target language (TT).
2) The second sense centres on the concrete translation product produced by the
translator.
Dictionary of translation studies: those turns into sub-types such as literary, technical,
subtitling and machine translation. But when we talk about translation we usually talk
about the transfer of written texts, but also interpreting.
Subtitling is a written product which is read in conjunction with an image on screen
like during films. It operates within audio-visual translation aka screen translation
and multimedia translation.

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We face the example of language compensation: it isn’t possible to translate every

single word into the target language.
Machine translation: in this case translation is no longer the preserve of human
translators. In a professional context, computing power and computerised analysis of
language are increasingly supporting the human’s ability.
Interpreting: simultaneous translation of someone who’s speaking.
Inter-semiotic translation: it’s a visual phenomenon.
Intralingual translation: it’s within the same language, which can involve
rewording or paraphrasing.
Interlingual translation: from one language to another.
Example of intralingual translation -> Harry Potter was published with different titles
in the USA. Also in the book “10 little niggers” by A. Christie was published with a
different title in the USA, also the stage adaptation had a different name, now the N
word is substituted by soldier boys. These might be considered different versions but
they do share some of the same characteristics of translation between languages.
According to Jacobson, only interlingual translation is a proper translation. Where do
we draw the line between translation and adaptation?
Omission could be due to censorship, but it is still regarded as a translation. The
extent of the correspondence between two texts in two languages can be
conceptualized as a continuum of writing activities, where the dividing lines
between translation, version, adaptation, etc. (instantiating degrees of resemblance),
vary according to culture, purpose, genre and contextual factors.
Interlinear translations are the closest to the source, with the highest degree of
resemblance; versions are the farthest from it (with little resemblance). In between
the two extremes there exist various types of interlingual activity that may or may not
include the word “translation” (e.g., free translation, literal translation, adaptations,
etc.) and that sometimes may also be used to refer to intralingual activities (e.g.,
adaptation of a literary text for the screen, for the theatre, for younger audiences,
etc.).

THE AMBIT OF TRANSLATION

1. The process of transferring a written text from SL to TL, conducted by a translator,
or translators, within a specific socio-cultural context.
2. The written product, or TT, which results from that process and which functions in
the socio-cultural context of the TL.

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3. The cognitive, linguistic, visual, cultural and ideological phenomena which are an
integral part of 1 and 2.

15th February
Translation is both a process and a product. The first sense focuses on the role of the
translator in taking the original or source text (ST) and turning it into a text in another
language (the target text, TT). The second sense centres on the concrete translation
product produced by the translator.
Translation is also a scholarly field. Jacobson’s discussion on translation focuses on
the main aspects:
- Equivalence between items in SL and TL
- The notion of translatability
He compared three types of translation:
INTRALINGUAL TRANSLATION: translation within the same language, which can
involve rewording or paraphrase.
INTERLINGUAL TRANSLATION: translation from one language to another.
(TRANSLATION PROPER)
INTERSEMIOTIC TRANSLATION: translation of the verbal sign by a non-verbal
sign, for example music, image, film, painting.
The scholar James S. Holmes was the first to talk about translation as a discipline in a
paper published in 1972. He defines it as interdisciplinary and divides it in two
sectors:
- Pure translation studies which consist in analysing existing translation. It has
two main objectives: the describe the phenomena of translating and to establish some
general and theoretical rules
- Applied studies which consist in developing rules for translation and also
criticism
Holmes uses translating for the process and translation for the product.
Toury, another scholar, proposes two laws of translation:
- The law of growing standardisation: TTs generally display less linguistic
variation than STs

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- The law of interference

Universals of translation are specific characteristic display by translated languages.
Translated language presents specific characteristics that are distinct form the original
language. Source text is usually shorter than the translated text. This rule isn’t
universal, it is just very frequent.
Since Holmes’ papers, translation studies has evolved to such an extent that now it is
really a perfect interdiscipline, interfacing with a whole host of other fields. Its aim is
still to describe translation a to establish some rules but the methods of analysis have
varied.
Corpus (the plural is corpora) is an electronically readable database of naturally
produced texts which can be analysed for word frequency, collocations etc by
computer.
Corpus based translation studies is a branch of translation studies, which analyses
translation using corpora and tools derived from Corpus Linguistics
Lexicology: the branch of linguistics the analyses the lexis
Terminology: specialised vocabulary related to a specific field of communication
Translation studies have developed in the last years.

Activity 1:
Process 1, 3
Product 2, 5
Field 4, 6

Literal vs. free translation: literal translation is a word for word translation. They
are not fixed opposites. It depends on the purpose, text type and audience.
Sense and content -> form and style. The sense may be translated while the form
often cannot, humour for example is hardly translatable, but also poems or songs.
Grammar translation, provides a structural translation that renders the structure of
the source into the target. It is often used in foreign- and second language teaching to
test a student’s understanding of the grammar of the language under study (typically
used for learning Latin).
Interlinear translation, The translated forms are written or printed below the
relevant words and morphemes in order to facilitate the understanding of the structure

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of each word (mainly used in linguistics). Word-for-word translation, and at times

morpheme-by-morpheme translation.
Gist translation, is an activity that tries to convey the main idea of the source text in
the target language, without concern for preserving form. u Unimportant content may
be left out. Gisting comprises an interlingual summary, and it is also called summary
translation.
Sight translation is an activity that consists of translating a
written text out loud. Interpreters are often given written documents that they
have to translate orally into the target language.
A Paraphrase is an activity that tries to preserve the content as much as possible, but
with different form. A paraphrase is an alternative way of expressing the content of
the source. When asked to repeat what someone else said, most people will be doing
a paraphrase (intralingual).
A literal translation may be the norm between closely related languages (CAT, SPA
& ITA). The lexical and syntactic structures are almost identical, or at least quite
similar. It depends on the text type, audience and purpose.
Inversion between new – old information. In English, the new information is
generally placed towards the end of a sentence/text. In Italian, the new information
tends to come at the beginning of a sentence/text.

22/02/2023
Activity 2
1- L’azienda offriva servizi gratuiti di traduzione ad associazioni no-profit
2- Per tutti coloro che frequentano il corso è disponibile una traduzione inglese
del corano
3- L’Open translation project offre sottotitoli, trascrizioni interattive e la
possibilità di tradurre qualsiasi discorso da parte volontari da tutto il mondo.
4- La studentessa ha deciso di cambiare il suo corso di laurea da letteratura a
traduzione
5- I non ero soddisfatta della prima bozza della traduzione quindi ho deciso di
chiedere a qualcuno di revisionarla
6- La traduzione sta tornando in voga tra gli insegnanti di lingua

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Traditional dictionaries tend to divide languages into headwords. The translation unit
is not fixed to an individual word across languages. Individual words do tend to be
treated in isolation, being divided into different senses.

Activity 3
1- Taiwan colpita da uno scoppio improvviso di folle rebranding
2- È stato il peggior scoppio di trombe d’aria nella storia statunitense
3- L’ondata di influenza aviaria è avvenuto un anno fa
4- Gli storici credono che ci siano stati molteplici ragioni per lo scoppio della
guerra durante l’estate del 1914
5- C’è un modo per fermare l’epidemia
6- Un contadino del Northumberland è stato pronunciato colpevole di crudeltà
verso animali e responsabile di nono aver informato le forze dell’ordino di
un’epidemia aftosa tra i suoi maiali
The translation unit is ‘the smallest segment of the utterance whose signs are linked
in such a way that they should not be translated individually’ definition by Vinay and
Darbelnet. They reject the word as a unit of translation since translators focus on the
SEMANTIC FIELD rather than on the formal properties of the individual term.
This smallest linguistic element is what they call the lexicological unit and the unit
of thought. The lexicological units contain ‘lexical elements grouped together to
form a single element of thought’.
Texts are embedded in situations or contexts that consist of non-linguistic elements,
which determine linguistic form and are reflected in the text. These
non-linguistic elements are often referred to as situational features, features of
situation or extra-linguistic features (also factors). Among them are: the function,
audience, medium, motive, time and place.

1st of March
It might happen that there is no correspondence from one language to the other. So,
the specific context determines the translation.
The translation shift are the small changes that happen between units on a ST-TT
translation. This is very important for Vinay and Darblet.

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Translation shifts are defined as departures from formal correspondence in the

process of ging from the SL to the TL.

ASSIGNMENT 1
Explore: the Rosetta Stone
In July 1799, a group of soldiers stumbled upon an object set to change our
understanding of the ancient world.
That object was the Rosetta Stone, perhaps the most famous piece of rock in the
world. This fragment of an ancient stela (an inscribed slab) became the key that
unlocked the mysterious hieroglyphic script of ancient Egypt. The rediscovery was
made by French soldiers digging foundations for a fort in the town of Rashid (or
Rosetta), a port city 65 km east of Alexandria. The soldiers – troops in Napolean's
Egyptian campaign of 1798–1801 – were preparing for the land Battle of Abuqir on
25 July 1799, between France and the Ottoman Empire. The Stone was swiftly
recognised as a valuable relic of antiquity and news of the discovery spread quickly.

Scoprite la stele di Rosetta

Nel luglio del 1799, un gruppo di soldati s’imbatté in un oggetto destinato a cambiare
la nostra comprensione del mondo antico.
Quell’oggetto era la Stele di Rosetta, forse il più famoso pezzo di roccia al mondo.
Questo frammento di un’antica stele (una lastra con inscrizione) è diventata la chiave
per decodificare la misteriosa scrittura geroglifica usata nell’antico Egitto. La
scoperta fu fatta da dei soldati francesi mentre stavano scavando le fondamenta di un
forte nella città di Rashid (o Rosetta), una città portuale a 65 km da Alexandria. I
soldati – truppe della campagna napoleonica in Egitto del 1798-1801- si stavano
preparando per la battaglia di Abukir del 25 luglio 1799, tra la Francia e l’impero
Ottomano. La stele fu prontamente riconosciuta coma una reliquia di valore
dell’antichità e la notizia della scopertasi diffuse velocemente.

Transposition is a technique trough which we change the word without changing

their meaning.

8th March

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A hierarchical rank scale.

Newmark’s focus is on the sentence as the natural unit of translation.
Two levels of meaning:
- Denotation is the referential meaning the barest core of a word’s meaning
- Connotation refers to the level of meaning and association we attach the
words.
Semantics is the study of meaning, whose main goal is a systematic account of
nature of meaning
Eugene Nida was a scholar who focused don the theory of equivalence between
languages. He proposes a three-phase model of translation:
I. Analysis
II. Transfer
III. Restructuring
The analysis phase consists of two parts: the examination of the sentence structure
and then the examination of two kinds of linguistic meaning.
Referential meaning deals with the words as signs or symbols. Words can assume
different meaning based on context and co-text.

Connotative meaning is the emotional reaction engendered by a word.

The Semantic structure analysis aims to identify places where meaning and use
coincide or differ between two languages. English lesson 5
Newmark (1988:165) states that transpositions and rearrangements may often occur,
but that a sentence would not normally be divided unless there was good reason
The analysis phase involves examination of sentence structure and of two kinds of
linguistic meaning: referential vs connotative.
The correct sense of a word for the translator is determined by: the co-text or
linguistic context (the other words around it) or the context (the situation).
As a reader the translator first needs to disambiguate (differentiate between) the
various possible senses of the ST term as a step towards identifying the appropriate
TL equivalent. This is done by contrastive semantic structure analysis.
SEMANTIC STRUCTURE ANALYSIS->Analysis of two different languages (SL
& TL) with the aim of identifying places where meaning and use coincide or differ.

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At other times, the problem is more one of locating an equivalent on the same level in
the TL. uThis occurs where one language has a wider range of specific terms for a
given semantic field operating at various levels.
The generic term is known as the SUPERORDINATE The lower-level terms are
HYPONYMS - their more specific meaning is included within the meaning of the
superordinate
COMPONENTIAL ANALYSIS-> A technique of semantic analysis that examines
the basic meaning components of a word and allows contrast with other terms in the
same semantic field.
SEMANTIC FIELD->A category of words related by topic or sense. Thus, the
semantic field of arts would include words such as painter, architect, sculpture,
museum, gallery, picture, cabinet, display, exhibition.
Words that share the same superordinate term are called CO-HYPONYMS

ASSIGNMENT 2:
Greece: Parthenon
447–432 BC
The Parthenon was built as a temple dedicated to the goddess Athena.
It was the centrepiece of an ambitious building programme on the Acropolis of
Athens.
The temple's great size and lavish use of white marble was intended to show off the
city's power and wealth at the height of its empire. Room 18 exhibits sculptures that
once decorated the outside of the building. The pediments and metopes (square
spaces between triglyphs in a Doric frieze) illustrate episodes from Greek myth,
while the frieze represents the people of contemporary Athens in religious procession.
Rooms 18a and 18b feature fragments of the Parthenon sculpture and also pieces of
architecture. Video displays using computer graphics explain how the sculptures were
placed on the building, and a touch tour for visually impaired visitors includes a
model, some original architecture and plaster casts of the frieze.
GRECIA: Il Parthenon
Il Parthenon fu costruito come tempio dedicato alla dea Atena.
Era il fulcro centrale di un ambizioso progetto di costruzione nella Acropoli di Atene.

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Le grandi dimensioni del tempio e l’esorbitante uso del marmo bianco avevano lo
scopo di ostentare il potere ed il benessere della città all’apice della sua grandezza.
Nella sala 18 sono esposte delle sculture che una volta devoravano l’esterno
dell’edificio. I frontoni e le metope (spazi quadrati situati tra i triglifi in un fregio
dorico) illustrano degli episodi della mitologia greca, mentre i fregi rappresentano i
cittadini dell’Atene contemporanea durante una processione religiosa. Le sale 18a e
18b contengono dei frammenti della scultura del Parthenon e degli elementi della sua
architettura. I video schermi spiegano, usando la grafica al computer, come le
sculture venivano posizionate sull’edificio, mentre un tour tattile per i non-vedenti
include un modello.

15 march
HOW TO CARRY OUT AND WRITE A PRETRANSLATION ANALYSIS:
Source text analysis based on a pragmatic model takes into account both:
- The intra-textual factors
- Extra textual factors
Extra-textual factors are:
1. The author
2. Communicative situation
3. Medium
4. Communicative purpose
5. Text type
6. Intended audience
Extra-textual factors are also referred to as extra-linguistic features or situational
features or features of situation.
Intra-textual factors are:
1. Topic of the text
2. Main content of the text
3. Readers’ background knowledge
4. Textual structure

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5. Visual elements accompanying the text

6. Lexical and syntactic features

Paragraph 1 in an argumentative essay:

Paragraph 2: author, communicative situation, medium, communicative purpose, text
type, intended audience.
Paragraph 3: textual structure
Paragraph 4: what translation issues have you identified? Classify them and provide
evidence from the ST. it can be about lexical/terminology or syntactic.

ORGANISE YOUR ESSAY INTO PARAGRAPHS

1. Introductory paragraph: topic & content (intra-textual factors of the ST)
2. Extra-textual factors of the ST (variables) (you may need more than one
paragraph)

3. Intra-textual factors of the ST (you may need more than one paragraph)
4. Possible translation issues/problems (you may need more than one paragraph)
5. Optional - Concluding paragraph/sentence

PARAGRAPH 1 – INTRODUCTORY PARAGRAPH 1. TOPIC OF THE TEXT: the

subject matter the text deals with 2. MAIN CONTENT OF THE TEXT: the
information or content presented in the text.
PARAGRAPH 2: EXTRA-TEXTUAL FACTORS OF THE ST (VARIABLES)
PARAGRAPH 3: INTRA-TEXTUAL FACTORS OF THE ST
PARAGRAPH 4: Based on your reading/observation of the ST, what translation
issues/problems have you identified
Functionalist approach argues that the translation process is guided by extra-textual
(extra-linguistic) factors, more specifically by the FUNCTION of the translation.

Text types as divided by Reiss:

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- Informative: to inform
- Expressive: to express one’s emotions
- Operative: advertising
These three basic types of text are recognised and are distinguished one from the
other in terms of such factors as: u the intention or the rhetorical purpose of the text
producer; u the ‘function’ which a text performs in actual use. Rhetorical purpose and
textual function.
According to their communicative intention, verbal texts thus display three possible
communicative functions, correlating with the dominance of one of the three
language functions identified (Bühler, 1934/1965).
1. INFORMATIVE
2. EXPRESSIVE
3. OPERATIVE/APPELLATIVE
Life in a cup -> la vita in un caffè
Adaptation the procedure which involves modifying a cultural reference for the TT
audience. It is a specific type of a situational equivalence.
Equivalence is the procedure which involves the translation of fixed expression such
as idioms with an equivalent that is very different in form. It also works for proverbs.
How would you classify the webpages devoted to exhibitions/events? They can be
certainly ascribed to the informative text typology, yet they also have some elements
typical of the operative text (e.g., a promotional purpose) = HYBRID TEXTS
COMPENSATION: LOSS AND GAIN IN TRANSLATION uCOMPENSATION: a
translation technique used to compensate for translation loss. uThe translator offsets
an inevitable loss at one point in the text by adding a suitable element at another
point, achieving a compensatory translation gain (Vinay & Darbelnet 1958/1995)

22 March
Assignment 3:
Rivisitare l’antica Grecia: semplicità e splendore.
Come posso con una descrizione darvi un’idea dell’immenso piacere che ho provato
alla vista di questi antichi edifici di Atene.

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Nel 1803 Robert Smirke un giovane architetto britannico, visitò Atene per studiare gli
antichi edifici, incluso il Partenone, come parte della sua formazione professionale.
Al tempo, Smirke non era che uno dei tanti architetti contemporanei ispirato dal
semplice splendore degli antichi edifici greci in Italia, Grecia e Turchia. Tornando in
Uk dai suoi viaggi, cominciò a progettare numerosi edifici nello stile neogreco in
voga all’epoca, incluso un nuovo palazzo per il British muesum nel 1821.
In questa esposizione gratuita, scoprirete di più sull’ascesa dell’architettura neogreca
dipinti ad acquarello contemporanei e immagini contestualizzate. Questa è una rara
opportunità per imparare qualcosa di più su Smirke e vedere il suo disegno originale
del Partenone tra le mura dell’edificio che lui stesso ha disegnato.

Assignment 4: raffaello e la sua scuola – tracciando connessioni

A seguito del 500 anniversario della morte di Raffa, nel 2020, venite a vedere i
magnifici disegni del maestro del rinascimento italiano e ripercorrete la sua influenza
attraverso i lavori dei suoi allievi.
Durante la sua vita relativamente breve, Raffa passò dall’anonimato della provincia
dove non era che figlio di un artista della corte di Urbino, nel centro Italia, ad
affermarsi come il principale pittore, architetto ed progettatore generale alla corte
papale a Roma.
Alla base del successo di Raffa c’era la sua maestria nel disegno, che facilitò la sua
rapida analisi ed assimilazione dei lavori dei suoi contemporanei, tra i più noti
Leonardo Da vinci e Michelangelo. Questa destrezza gli ha permesso di esplorare le
sue idee e quindi di dirigere il suo studio e la sua scuola pe realizzarle in un’ampia
varietà di mezzi espressivi. Le 29 opere in mostra mettono in luce lo sviluppo di
Raffaello come disegnatore e mostreranno come i suoi talentuosi allievi- abbiano
continuato a disegnare con lo stesso spirito inventivo e libero da costrizioni.

ASSIGNEMENT 5
Cezanne
Passando in rassegna l’arco della carriera di una figura cardine dell’arte moderna
Cezanne una volta disse “con una mela stupirò Parigi”. Questo fu esattamente ciò che
fece, dopo aver lasciato la natia Aix-en-Provence per andare nella capitale francese

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appena ventenne. Le sue nature morte, i paesaggi ed i dipinti dei bagnanti diedero il
permesso alle generazioni di artisti successivi di uscire dagli schemi. La storia della
pittura non fu più la stessa.
Questa mostra si concentra sulle innumerevoli tensioni e contraddizioni nelle opere di
Cezanne, cercando di comprendere l’artista nel suo stesso contesto, come un
ambizioso giovane pittore fiero delle sue origini mediterranee, ma allo stesso tempo
desideroso di sfondare nel panorama metropolitano di Parigi. La mostra include
diverse opere esposte per la prima volta nel Regno Unito e si propone di ripercorrere i
suoi sforzi di conciliare

12 April
DOMESTICATION: a translation strategy in which a transparent, fluent style is
adopted in order to minimise the foreignness of the ST.
FOREIGNIZATION: a translation strategy which seeks to preserve ‘alien’ features of
a ST in order to convey the ‘foreignness’ of the original.
INVISIBILITY (Venuti 1995) A term used to describe translations which tend to be
heavily domesticated (i.e., which conform to the expected linguistic and cultural
patterns of the target culture).
DOMESTICATION ---> INVISIBILITY
FOREIGNIZATION ---> VISIBILITY

MARKEDNESS is an aspect of language use where some linguistic features

(grammar, lexis) may be considered less ‘basic’, less ‘familiar’ or less ‘preferred’
than others.

26th April

REGISTER: the set of features which distinguishes one stretch of language from
another in terms od variation in CONTEXT, relating to:

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- The language user (geographical dialect)

- The language use (field or subject matter, tenor or level of formality and mode
or written or oral)

Assignment 9 “the iron lady”:

The Iron Lady portrays a very different Margaret Thatcher from the one I knew
The definitive verdict on the biopic from former Guardian political editor Michael
White, who observed Thatcher up close as a young sketchwriter in the 1970s
It would be easy to imagine saying to Meryl Streep, "I knew Margaret Thatcher.
You're no Margaret Thatcher," as an American politician once did to a rival who
compared himself to President John F Kennedy. Easy, but wrong. Streep's
interpretation of Thatcher in three distinct stages of her career, before, during and
after her 11-year premiership, is a remarkable and sensitive achievement. Give the
woman another Oscar, the pair of them can share it. Hollywood would like that.
The jibe could be levelled against Phyllida Lloyd's film. The Iron Lady certainly
contains a selection of Thatcher's greatest handbaggings – which everyone much over
40 will remember with nostalgic glee or a shudder. We all knew her. But it is
background. What cinema-goers will remember from this film is its foreground, a
brilliant and thus unavoidably cruel portrait of old age, loneliness and decay, the
harrowing fall from greatness. It should have been called The Rusty Lady or – Lloyd
and Streep's earlier hit – Grand Mamma Mia.

“the iron lady” raffigura una Margaret Thatcher molto diversa da quella che
conoscevo.
Il verdetto finale sul film biografico da parte di Michael White, ex direttore
responsabile della sezione politica del Guardian, che ha osservato la Thatcher da
vicino quando era ancora un giovane sketchwriter negli anni 70.
È facile immaginare di dire a Meryl Streep: “ io conoscevo Margaret Thatcher. Tu
non sei Margaret Thatcher ”come disse una volta un politico americano ad un suo
rivale che si era paragonato al Presidente JFK. Facile, ma sbagliato. L’interpretazione
cha la Streep da della Thatcher durante le tre diverse tappe della sua carriera: prima
durante e dopo i suoi 11 come Primo Ministro, è una delicata e notevole conquista.
Date a quella donna un altro Oscar, lo possono dividere tra di loro. Ad Hollywood
piacerebbe.

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La frecciatina potrebbe essere lanciata contro il film Phyllida Lloyd. The iron lady
contiene certamente una selezione delle migliori borsettate della Thatcher, che ogni
persona oltre i 40 si ricorderà con nostalgica allegria o con timore. Tutti la
conoscevano, ma questo è in secondo piano. Quello che gli amanti del cinema si
ricorderanno di questo film è il suo primo piano, un brillante e inevitabilmente
crudele della vecchiaia, della solitudine e del declino, la straziante caduta in
disgrazia. Il film si sarebbe dovuto chiamare the rusty lady o come il precedente
successo della coppia Lloyd-Streep, Grand Mamma mia.

3 May
1st paragraph: This essay will examine a pre-translation analysis of …… that is
present on the website of name/place. The analysis will take into account both intra-
textual and extra-textual elements that could have an impact on how the text is
translated into Italian. What is the text/whats its aim/what does it describe/when was
it written.
2nd paragraph: Author and when and where was it written. Communicative purpose
(Reiss) and specify the medium of communication. The sender’s intention or purpose
(what for?) and the motive (why?) of the text production. What is the intended
audience in terms of age, social role, expected knowledge on the topic, provide
evidence from the text. What is the aim of the translation?
3rd paragraph: Intra-textual factors of the ST: How is the text organised? In which
words? In what kind of sentences? 2 • Is there anything that you expect to be a source
of translation problems? (this aspect leads you to the following paragraph)
4th paragraph: Based on your reading/observation of the ST, what translation
issues/problems have you identified? Classify the translation issues/problems (and
provide evidence from the ST) according to the following categories:
LEXICAL/TERMINOLOGICAL (e.g., specialised language, adaptation,
collocations, remodulation)
SYNTACTIC (e.g., complex noun phrases, -ing forms, relative clauses,
active/passive forms)
CULTURAL (e.g., a culture-specific item in the ST that requires an expansion, an
explanation, a gloss in the TT)
STYLISTIC (e.g., register and use of marked language such as repetitions)

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Achieving equivalence involves a complex decision-making process which the

Leipzigbased translation theorist Jiří Levý (1967) defined in terms of moves as in a
game of chess, and choices to make from several alternatives.
-At every stage, choices are made, and these influence subsequent choices.
-Translation decisions tend to be highly complex and ‘hierarchical’
-This hierarchy is also iterative: as the translator progresses through the text, he/she
can come back again and again to decisions already made, reviewing and altering
them
The decision-making process is driven by a number of different factors such:
- Aesthetics
The translator’s own ‘aesthetic standards’ (Levý, 1967) represent fairly subjective
factors (--->> unmotivated / unnecessary departures from the ST). The translator’s
own socio-cognitive system (the translator’s culture and system of values, beliefs,
etc.) is a less subjective factor than aesthetics.
- Cognition
The translator’s socio-cognitive system plays an important role in informing
translation decisions and thus confirming the hierarchical-iterative and relative nature
of equivalence relations. The translator’s background knowledge is essential to the
interpretation of the text (especially in terms of COHERENCE)
COHESION refers to the ties and connections between words, phrases and sentences
that exist within a text. Cohesion is what holds the text together and is mainly
achieved through grammar and lexicon ( efficiency)
COHERENCE refers to the connections that readers and hearers create in their
minds to arrive at a meaningful interpretation of a text. Coherence -> effectiveness.
It is the textual factor that helps readers/hearers to distinguish connected (i.e.,
cohesive) texts that make sense from those that do not.
- Commission
The task specification agreed with clients can drastically influence decision-making.
This raises issues of translation skopos or purpose, loyalty and conflict of interests,
translator’s (in)visibility, etc. The nature of the commission is a crucial factor in
defining the purpose of the translation.

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DIRECT TRANSLATION is performed in situations where we need to translate not

only what is said, but also how it is said. It uses three techniques: borrowing, calque
and literal translation.
OBLIQUE TRANSLATION is used to cope with stylistic problems. It uses four
procedures: transposition, modulation, equivalence and adaptation.
These procedures are applied on three levels of language: grammatical structures,
lexicon and the message.

Il film è basato su eventi realmente accaduti e sul libro di John Carlin, ed è

ambientato nel 1994, quando Mandela, dopo essere uscito da un lungo
incarceramento, diventò il primo presidente dell’era post-apartheid. Le inquadrature
iniziali mostrano le immagini di ragazzi bianchi ricchi e snob che giocano a rugby
intervallate con delle immagini di poveri ragazzi neri, scalzi mentre giocano a calcio
in un terreno abbandonato. Come ho già detto, questo non è un film delicato. Ad ogni
modo, le tensioni razziali erano alte e la sfida di Mandela era quella di “bilanciare le
aspirazioni dei neri con le paure dei bianchi”, come era dimostrato dalla sua squadra
per la sicurezza, composta da nuovi ufficiali neri e vecchie guardie bianche, che si
guardavano con molta ostilità. Lo ripeterò nuovamente: questo non è un film delicato.
Sinceramente, quante volte devo ripetere la stessa cosa da queste parti? Ora, anche se
molte questioni richiedevano l’attenzione di Mandela, come il tasso di criminalità, la
povertà, la disoccupazione, la violenza e quel genere di cose, lui si concentrò sulla
squadra nazionale di rugby, gli Springboks, tradizionalmente amati dai bianchi e
detestati dei neri, che li vedevano come un simbolo di supremazia bianca.
Mandela convocò il capitano della squadra, François Pienaar (Matt Damon), e gli
disse che se gli Springboks fossero riusciti a conquistare il supporto della
popolazione nera e a vincere l’allora imminente Coppa del Mondo, il paese si sarebbe
sentito unito ed ispirato (non meglio vestito però, una cosa per volta). Pienaar è
interpretato da un biondo e palestrato Damon, ma il personaggio è così blando e privo
di tratti distintivi che potrebbe essere interpretato da chiunque. Penso che pure io
potrei farlo.

Pre-translation analysis:
INTRO: This essay will present a pre-translation analysis of a review of the film “the
iron Lady” that is present on the website of “the Guardian”. The film directed by X
follows the major life events of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher,
who is played by Meryl Streep. The analysis will take into account. The analysis will

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consider both intra-textual and extra-textual elements that could have an impact on
how the text is translated into Italian. The article was published in 2012 by Michael
White.
FIRST PARAG: according to Reiss (1989), the text type can be considered both
operative and informative because its aim is to dissuade the readers from watching
the film while explaining its main features. The fact that the author employs mainly
declarative sentences is a sign that the main function is informative, at the same time
the use of negative connotations to describe his opinion of the film is a typical trait of
an expressive text. The intended audience are the readers of the journal, generally
adults aged between 30-65 years old, they are expected to have a general knowledge
of the topic. The aim of the translation is to report a review of the film to Italian
readers.
SECOND PARG: the text is organised into 3 paragraphs and it uses simples and
general words to describe the subject, except for certain complicated terms which are
problematic to translate because they refer to a typical British phenomenon. An
example of these cultural specific terms is the word “handbaggings”.

17 May 2023
Peter Newman would describe the translation of songs trough subtitles as semantic
translation. On the other side if you translate a song orally it is different cause you
can’t translate every word or it would not rhyme. Also humour is hard to translate.
There two main modes of visual translation:
- Subtitling and revoiaing
- Dubbing and voice over
Voice over is popular because it serves to give credibility. The translation starts a few
seconds later and ends a few seconds earlier. In dubbing, on the other hand, these
seconds of interval are not there but we do not even pay attention to respecting the lip
synchronization.
Audio description is popularly used for blind people.

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